Desmond Trufant

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Trufant was rated the 56th best cornerback in the nation.

He accepted a scholarship to Washington over offers from Arizona State, Oregon and Washington State, brother Marcus' alma mater.

Desmond Trufant (born September 10, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL).

Trufant was also a standout long jumper and triple jumper on the Rams' track team, and took second place in the Class 4A state track meet in the triple jump (46 feet, 5.75 inches) and 11th in the long jump (21 feet, 2.25 inches) as a junior in 2008.

He also played basketball at Wilson, earning second-team all-league as a junior.

Trufant attended the University of Washington, where he played for their Huskies football teams from 2009 to 2012.

As a senior, he was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.

The Huskies were ranked No. 16 in the nation (second in the Pac-12) in pass defense (188.9 yards allowed per game) at the end of the regular 2012 college football season.

He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Trufant attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington.

He was named first-team all-state by the Seattle Times following his senior season, and also earned a spot on the Seattle Times preseason all-state team.

He was named to the All-Narrows League first team as both a running back and cornerback as a senior, after posting 47 tackles and eight interceptions as a junior, when he was an All-Narrows League first-team cornerback.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Trufant in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.

He was the third cornerback selected in 2013, behind Alabama's Dee Milliner (9th overall) and Houston's D. J. Hayden (12th overall), and was also the first of two cornerbacks the Falcons selected, the second being second round pick Robert Alford (60th overall).

On July 24, 2013, the Atlanta Falcons signed Trufant to a four-year, $8.16 million contract that includes $6.94 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.31 million.

Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as a starting cornerback against Asante Samuel, Robert McClain, and Robert Alford.

Head coach Mike Smith named Samuel and Trufant the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.

He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Atlanta Falcons' season-opener against the New Orleans Saints.

He made five combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 23–17 loss.

In Week 7, Trufant recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and broke up a pass during a 31–23 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On November 3, Trufant recorded five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception off of a pass by quarterback Cam Newton in the Falcons' 34–10 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

On December 15, Trufant tied his season-high seven combined tackles, along with two pass deflections, as well as intercepting a pass by quarterback Kirk Cousins in their 27–26 victory against the Washington Redskins.

He finished his rookie season with a career-high 70 combined tackles (55 solo), a career-high 17 pass deflections, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and 16 starts.

He exceeded expectations, being ranked eighth out of all cornerbacks in the league by Pro Football Focus.

He allowed a 53% completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 75.2 to opposing quarterbacks in pass coverage.

Trufant became the Falcons' No. 1 cornerback after they released Asante Samuel.

He was officially named the starting cornerback, alongside Robert Alford, to begin the regular season.

On November 9, 2014, Trufant recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection during their 27–17 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The following week, he made a season-high two pass deflections and intercepted a pass by Cam Newton in a 19–17 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

On December 29, the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Mike Smith after the Falcons did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing the season with a 4–12 record.

Trufant finished the season with 61 combined tackles (53 solo), 16 pass deflections, and three interceptions, playing in 16 games with 16 starts.

The Falcons' new head coach, Dan Quinn, retained Trufant and Alford as the starting cornerback duo.

In Week 11, Trufant recorded four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and his first career sack on quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during a 21–24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The following week, he made a season-high six solo tackles in the Falcons' 20–10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

He finished the season with 42 combined tackles (35 solo), 11 pass deflections, a sack, and an interception, playing in 16 games with 16 starts.

Trufant received his first Pro Bowl selection when he was named as an alternate in the 2016 Pro Bowl.

He was named starter for the Falcons' season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which he made a season-high five combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by Jameis Winston during a 31–24 loss.

On October 16, Trufant made five combined tackles and a sack on Russell Wilson in the Falcons' 26-24 loss at the Seattle Seahawks.

In Week 9, Trufant made four solo tackles in the Falcons' 43–28 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He left in the first half after suffering a shoulder injury.