ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Thinking he could take advantage of a dramatic size advantage, Patrick Mahomes threw a fade pass to the end zone during a recent Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice intended for 6-foot-4 wide receiver Justyn Ross, who was being covered by 5-11 cornerback Trent McDuffie.
It was the latest renewal of a camp battle between Mahomes and McDuffie. Mahomes won this round, perfectly placing the pass to Ross in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
Mahomes went after McDuffie in a similar situation later in the same practice when the cornerback found himself covering 6-6 tight end Jared Wiley. This time, McDuffie knocked the ball away.
"That man is good,'' Mahomes said of McDuffie. "That man is really good and I always tell him I'm going to try him once or twice a day.
"He's got me a couple times and I've gotten him, but that's what makes great players great players."
In McDuffie, Mahomes is testing the Chiefs' top cornerback, a spot he inherited after the Chiefs traded L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason. They were comfortable dealing Sneed because they have McDuffie, who was selected as a first-team All-Pro last season despite not having an interception.
The Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are still searching for cornerbacks to fill the rest of their depth chart but there's no uncertainty about which one they're counting on for a big season.
"We know who our No. 1 is, right?'' Spagnuolo said. "We all know that.
"[Being selected All-Pro] was the [biggest] compliment to a defensive back that did not have an interception because that tells you all you need to know. He does a lot of things really [well] and I'll guarantee you he's got his eyeballs on trying to get a couple of picks this year.''
McDuffie was selected All-Pro last season for his slot coverage. He lined up about half of his snaps against an inside receiver and his ability to play well there allowed the Chiefs to frequently send Sneed to cover the opponent's top wide receiver regardless of where that player lined up.
"Last year, yeah, All-Pro, but I felt like I still was learning so much,'' McDuffie said. "Last year was really my first time at the nickel position and then this year with [Sneed] leaving and [McDuffie] moving to the outside, it's a whole different ballgame.
"You can do things a little differently, but on the outside, on the island, you've got to be a technician. Coming into this camp knowing that I might have to do some more of that, it's been each and every day just working little by little on technique and just trying to perfect myself out there. So still growing, still learning, and I feel like that's one thing that wakes me up every day.''
Because of his size, McDuffie is outside of the usual mold the Chiefs prefer for their cornerbacks -- Sneed is 6-1. Among the other top candidates for playing time this season, Joshua Williams is 6-3 and Jaylen Watson is 6-2. Taller defenders many times provide the best matchup for bigger receivers like Ross and Wiley.
But McDuffie often plays bigger than his size because opponents rarely catch him out of position, with coach Andy Reid calling that McDuffie's "unique characteristic.''
"He's always under control and in balance,'' Reid said.
Spagnuolo said the Chiefs haven't determined a role for McDuffie this season, whether that's being their main cornerback in covering the slot receiver or following the opponent's top receiver, as Sneed did for much of last season.
Given McDuffie's ability and the Chiefs' defensive success last season with Sneed traveling with the opponent's best receiver, McDuffie shouldn't be surprised if in Week 1, he's covering Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens most of the game.
Following Sneed's role is something he said he would welcome.
"Wherever [Spagnuolo] needs me, that's where you can put me,'' McDuffie said. "That's why we play this game, to go against the best of the best. So to be able to compete no matter who it's against. I'm ready to do that.''