Trevon Diggs, a fifth-round draft pick out of Alabama State in the 2018 NFL Draft, has been playing lights out for the Dallas Cowboys. In his rookie season, he was benched after two games and then played well enough to make the starting lineup.
Trevon Diggs is a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. His rookie season was filled with highs and lows, but he has turned his career around this year.
Early in his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, Trevon Diggs seemed to be a deer in headlights.
The young cornerback absorbed his licks and applied what he had learnt. Now, in their secondary, the Cowboys have a future star on their hands. His performance in the first two weeks of the 2021 NFL season demonstrates this.
Inside Trevon Diggs’ tumultuous first season in Dallas
Trevon Diggs was the No. 51 overall selection in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Diggs was a great wide receiver at Gaithersburg, Maryland’s Avalon School. He received many big college football offers after being rated as a four-star high school recruit.
Diggs has committed to play for Nick Saban at Alabama. He’d ultimately convert to a full-time cornerback position. During his four years with the Crimson Tide, the Gaithersburg native experienced his ups and downs.
Despite uneven performance against rival SEC receivers, Diggs’ exceptional agility and ball skills boosted his draft status. According to NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, several evaluators thought he had “the greatest ball skills in the draft.”
Diggs had a lot riding on his performance in the NFL. In the 2020 season, the Alabama product started 11 games for the Cowboys. He, like many other first-year players, went through some growing pains.
Early in the season, opposing quarterbacks targeted the rookie corner, taking advantage of his inexperience. However, as the season proceeded, he seemed to be more at ease. He started to show signs of his ability.
Diggs has 58 tackles, 14 pass defenses, and three interceptions in his first season. In 2020, he had a 62.7 rating from Pro Football Focus.
So far in 2021, Diggs has been outstanding for the Cowboys.
Trevon Diggs and Cowboys teammate Jayron Kearse celebrate their interception | Harry How/Getty Images
In 2020, the Cowboys’ defense was vulnerable. In total defense, the club was rated No. 23 in the NFL, allowing opponents to score 29.6 points per game.
Under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the defense seems to be improving thus far in 2021. Trevon Diggs has been one of Dallas’ most impressive players through the first two games.
In the Week 1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 23-year-old defensive back knocked out Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans. According to Next Gen Stats, he shadowed the Bucs wide receiver on 83 percent of his routes. On three targets, Diggs only let Evans catch one pass for ten yards.
While Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin had outstanding performances, Diggs removed one of the league’s greatest wide receivers from the contest.
In Week 2, he maintained his outstanding performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. Six solo tackles, one interception, and one pass defense were among his stats. Since Lee Roy Jordan in 1975, Diggs became the first Cowboys player to record an interception in the first two games of the season.
In 2021, the 6-foot-1 cover guy has already intercepted Tom Brady and Justin Herbert. He’s established himself as Dallas’ top defensive back, and he’s demonstrating why he has the potential to be a real No. 1 cornerback in the league.
The Cowboys’ defense seems to have improved significantly since the 2020 season, and Diggs’ big-play ability is a major part of it.
Trevon Diggs’ one-on-ones with his brother, Stefon Diggs, helped him prepare for the NFL.
Trevon Diggs was born to play in the National Football League. His elder brothers, notably Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, taught him how to play football as he grew up.
Stefon Diggs became a father figure for his younger siblings and sister when their father died in 2008. On and off the field, he taught the Cowboys a lot. Given his older brother’s success at the next level, the younger Diggs had high respect for him.
“Others look at him and seem surprised,” he said to ESPN. “I saw everything he did. I’ve seen him play running back, cornerback, and wide receiver. I’m aware of his skill level and the fact that no one in the NFL can stop him.”
Trevon Diggs is aware that he is capable of competing with his sibling. Nothing beats a healthy sibling rivalry. Despite the fact that the brothers are almost five years different in age, they have competed against each other on the field throughout the years.
He stated of his first opportunity to play against Stefon Diggs in the NFL, “I’m going to attempt to dominate him.” “He believes he can defeat me in every way, but I’m going to prove him wrong.”
Trevon Diggs claimed the Bills’ top receiver taught him a valuable lesson. “He looks at everything and says, ‘OK.’ Let’s get started.’ When faced with adversity, he advises him to “just push through it and go get it,” he added.
In his first season with the Cowboys, adversity greeted Diggs at the door. Despite this, he did what his brother instructed.
Pro Football Reference and NextGen Stats provided all statistics.
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