Trevon Diggs wasn’t supposed to be there. The previous night, the Dallas Cowboys had thoughts of taking him at No. 17, but then CeeDee Lamb fell in their lap and they had to put a pause on thoughts of helping the defense. But there Diggs sat at No. 51, still looking for where he’d point the U-Haul towards on the way out of Tuscaloosa. Dallas called his name and began the rebuild project in their corrupted secondary.
The Cowboys had already decided to start over by letting Byron Jones walk in free agency. Diggs represented a fresh beginning and even in the disappointing campaign of 2020, there were enough flashes from the corner to believe they made the right decision and had brought in a foundational piece. Diggs led the club in interceptions, with three, and pass deflections with 14 in just 12 games. He started out as a right corner, shifted to the left side when the now-departed Chidobe Awuzie went out with an injury, then finished doing some roaming once he returned down the stretch from his own broken foot.
It appears that new coordinator Dan Quinn will have him focused on the right side in 2021, as all 42 of his preseason snaps came there. He sits in front of 2021 third-round pick Nahshon Wright, who also played his entire preseason on the right side and opposite veteran Anthony Brown and second-round rookie Kelvin Joseph. Dallas has veterans Jourdan Lewis and and Maurice Canady manning the slot but no mistakes should be made, the cornerback group is Diggs’ to lead.
Our player profile countdown series continues with the former No. 27 but now No. 7, CB Trevon Diggs.