Treydan Stukes is among the prospects who weren’t exactly at the forefront of the draft conversations early on. Now, he kind of is. Interest has picked up over the last few weeks with visits, meetings, and more teams getting involved. He’s already had 11 top-30 visits, including Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Seattle. At this point, him ending up in the first round would not feel that surprising.
Why One NFL GM Prefers Treydan Stukes Over Caleb Downs
Stukes’ numbers are great. According to his PFSN scouting profile, he’s 6-foot-1 and had a 4.33 40-yard dash time. Then there’s the rest: a 38-inch vertical, 10-foot-10 broad jump, and 1.5s 10-yard split. He also has an impact score of 90.6 on PFSN’s CFB Cornerback Impact Metric, all the while ranking 10th.
Stukes’ play is explosive and not just about straight-line speed. That short-area burst is what really shows up when he is closing on the ball, and he turned it into production.
He had 4 interceptions last season, and quarterbacks basically avoided him when they could. When they didn’t, it was not great, as a 34.4 passer rating was allowed.
This is also reflected in one anonymous GM’s quote, as relayed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “One of the best safeties I’ve seen [in my time as a GM]. This guy makes freaky plays that I haven’t seen other safeties make.”
According to ESPN, the GM also added that he would draft Stukes over Caleb Downs, who is widely viewed as the cleaner projection. With Downs, you know you’re getting a reliable, consistent, and strong athlete against the run.
Nevertheless, if you’ve seen Stukes play, the comment does not feel random. He is a bit different from Downs, who had an impact score of 83.5 on PFSN’s Safety Impact Metric.
Stukes has higher upside in coverage, more range, and more flexibility in how you see him. There are plays where he is already moving before the quarterback lets the ball go. He breaks on routes early, adjusts mid-air, and kind of baits throws without it looking obvious at first.
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Stukes is not easy to label. He has played outside corner, nickel, and safety, pretty much all over the secondary, and did not look out of place doing any of it. That’s part of the appeal now.
Teams want guys who can move around, disguise coverages, and match up with different types of players, especially with how offenses are built now. Stukes already does a lot of that. His time at cornerback is helpful as well.
You can see it in how Stukes handles routes, especially in the slot, as he stays patient and then closes immediately.
He is also 24, which some teams will care about. There’s also the ACL injury in his past, and that will probably always be part of the evaluation.
