Blogging The Boys
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs in the middle of the second round, it felt like they had gotten an absolute steal. Those following the team’s draft buzz closely might remember that Diggs’ name surfaced as a possible option in the first round, which didn’t please the likes of too many. That seemed a little too early, but fortunately, that wasn’t an issue because CeeDee Lamb fell to Dallas on Day 1. Their luck didn’t stop as Diggs made it all the way to pick 51, capping off one of the best round one/two starts to the draft in team history. Little did they know that a short time later, they would have two All-Pro players at two of the most important positions in the NFL.
Landing Diggs when they did was perfect timing, as the team just lost Byron Jones after he left in free agency for a nice payday in Miami. The rookie stepped in immediately as the Day 1 starter, logging 100% of the defensive snaps over his first three games. In Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he fractured his foot and was thought to be lost for the year as the team put him on injured reserve. Surprisingly, he healed up quickly and was back in action to play the final three games of the season. Despite being a rookie and missing four games, he led the team with 14 passes defended. It was a promising start for the young corner.
Coming off a strong rookie campaign, there were big expectations for Diggs entering year two; however, none of us could have predicted what happened next. A uniform number switch from 27 to 7 was almost like changing into the superhero “Ball Hawkman,” as the player we witnessed was nothing short of spectacular. The Cowboys were winning games, starting the season 6-1, which in itself was exciting, but Diggs brought about additional excitement by intercepting a pass in each of the first six games of the season. Every new game, we wondered, would he get another one? And through the first six games, the answer was yes.
Diggs was everywhere. He was such an amazing ball tracker, following the ball into his arms like a seasoned pro wide receiver. Anything in his vicinity found his arms. When the season was done, Diggs had recorded an astonishing 11 interceptions, a feat that hadn’t happened in 40 years when another Dallas corner, Everson Walls, hauled in 11 picks his rookie season in 1981. In just his second season, the Cowboys had themselves an All-Pro corner. The sky was the limit.
Obviously, year three featured some regression to the mean, especially when it came to those monster interception numbers, but overall, Diggs played well. He was a bit of a risk/reward corner, as sometimes he made big plays, other times he gave up big plays. He still played well enough to be effective, earning Pro Bowl honors for the second-straight season, but he wasn’t without...
