Christian Benford

Early life

Benford was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up Randallstown, Maryland, where he attended Randallstown High School. He was named All-Metro and All-Baltimore County as a senior and played for Maryland in the Big 33 Football Classic. He was also a talented basketball player, as he was a member of the Maryland Renegades AAU team. Benford committed to play college football at Villanova over an offer from Morgan State.

College career

Benford played in nine games with eight starts as a true freshman and was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Rookie of the Year and third-team All-CAA after making 49 tackles with six pass breakups and five interceptions. He played in ten games with seven starts as a sophomore and broke up five passes with one interception. Benford was named first-team All-CAA in his junior season, which was shortened and played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. As a senior, Benford recorded 39 tackles with seven interceptions and an NCAA Division I FCS-leading 18 passes broken up and was again named first-team All-CAA.

Pre-draft process

After concluding his collegiate career at Villanova, Benford was invited to participate in the 2022 Hula Bowl, a college football all-star game held in Orlando, Florida. His selection highlighted his performance at the Division I FCS level and provided an opportunity to showcase his skills to professional scouts.

Personal life

Christian Benford had a son while in college at Villanova. His son's name is Calvin. Outside of football, Benford is very philanthropic. He is deeply invested in giving back to local communities, working with organizations like the Baltimore Homeless Project and Buffalo City Mission, hosting food and clothing drives, and inspiring kids through the NFL Foundation's Play 60 movement and youth camps.

In March 2025, Mynd Matters Publishing announced that they were partnering with Benford and that he would be joining their team as a children's author.