Limited experience hasn't stopped Cowboys' defender from shining
The Cowboys hit on wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with their first-round pick in 2020. Having back-to-back huge successes to kick off a draft doesn't happen that regularly, but the Cowboys pulled it off when they took cornerback Trevon Diggs one pick after Lamb. Diggs had his rookie woes like any other player, especially at a […]
The Cowboys hit on wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with their first-round pick in 2020. Having back-to-back huge successes to kick off a draft doesn't happen that regularly, but the Cowboys pulled it off when they took cornerback Trevon Diggs one pick after Lamb.
Diggs had his rookie woes like any other player, especially at a position like cornerback which is considered one of the hardest to transition from college to the professional level. However, Diggs overcame his struggles and a broken foot to haul in three interceptions in his final five games.
The 2021 season was one to remember as Diggs registered a league-leading 11 interceptions, the most in the NFL since 1981. Diggs earned first-team All-Pro honors and even got votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Now, the former second-rounder has another accolade as he'll be the recipient of the Cowboys Breakthrough Award which is given to the player who took a massive leap last season.
Diggs didn't waste any time putting his stamp on the 2021 season. He snagged an interception in each of the Cowboys' first six games (seven interception total) and ran two back for touchdowns. When Diggs wasn't taking the ball away he was certainly still making sure plenty of passes didn't get completed as his 21 passes defended ranked second in the NFL.
The Maryland native has already tallied 14 interceptions in just 28 career games. That would be impressive if Diggs had been playing his position since he was a kid like most players. In his case, Diggs just started playing cornerback full-time during his second season at Alabama, making his 2022 campaign with the Cowboys only his sixth year playing position.
“I just feel I’ve got to improve my game all around,” Diggs said back in April. “Just being a complete corner, just being that shutdown corner. I feel like I’m going to do everything I can working this offseason to take it to the next step and the next level.”
Despite the outside noise that tries to paint the picture that Diggs isn't one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, he's had another excellent training camp, and seeing how the trajectory of his career keeps pointing up, the Cowboys will likely get another big year out of him in 2022.
Feature image via Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
