CB #47

Christian Benford

Cornerback · Villanova

Christian Benford went from a sixth-round afterthought out of Villanova to a Week 1 starter over a first-round pick, and now anchors Buffalo's secondary on a $69 million extension.

Christian Benford has been one of the NFL's great late-round success stories, beating out a first-round pick for a starting job as a rookie and never looking back. The former Villanova standout capped a strong 2025 season with a signature performance against the Bengals, and he now enters 2026 as one of the league's better-paid cornerbacks.

★ First-team FCS All-American, Villanova, 2021

★ AFC Defensive Player of the Week, Week 13, 2025

★ Four-year, $69 million contract extension with the Bills, signed March 2025

★ 7 career interceptions and 2 defensive touchdowns through 2025

Path to the league

Benford was a two-time First-team All-CAA selection at Villanova and earned CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman before capping his career with First-team FCS All-American honors in 2021, when he led all of Division I FCS with 18 passes broken up. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the sixth round, 185th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the first Villanova player drafted since 2017.

Career highlights

Benford beat out 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam to become a Week 1 starter as a rookie and has remained a fixture in Buffalo's secondary ever since. Through 2025, he has amassed 185 combined tackles, 7 interceptions, 29 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 defensive touchdowns, production that earned him a four-year, $69 million extension with $37.63 million guaranteed, signed in March 2025.

2025 season recap

Benford had one of his best seasons in 2025, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 13 against Pittsburgh after recording an interception and returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He followed it up in Week 14 with a 63-yard pick-six off Joe Burrow that fueled a fourth-quarter comeback win over Cincinnati.