High marks for the Cowboys third-year cornerback.
Outside of Micah Parsons there is no member of the Dallas Cowboys who’s external perception changed more throughout the 2021 season than Trevon Diggs. That isn’t to say that nobody believed in Diggs, but there weren’t exactly tons of people projecting him to lead the NFL in interceptions back in June of 2021. What Diggs did last season was incredibly special, and while his interception count may dip this season, he can still certainly improve as an overall player.
One of Diggs’ biggest doubters, using that term a bit loosely, has been PFF. Given Diggs’ proclivity to take risks he has been graded a bit lower by their formula. The short story of the whole saga is that he is a bit of a risk-taker and the times he doesn’t make the play can negatively weigh down his grade in their system.
Recently, though, PFF had some rather high praise for Diggs which is nice to see.
PFF grades Dallas Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs as best cornerback in press coverage in 2021
While it seems rather unlikely that Diggs will repeat last season’s success from an interception standpoint, there is certainly all the room in the world for him to continue developing into one of the better cornerbacks throughout the league.
In an effort to figure out who could be some of the top defenders of this coming season the folks over at PFF graded cornerbacks from last season specifically in press coverage. You may or may not be shocked to learn that Diggs came in at number one.
1. TREVON DIGGS, DALLAS COWBOYS (58.3 PFF GRADE)
Much ado has been made already about Diggs’ All-Pro 2021 season and how his gaudy interception total may not reflect his true coverage ability. The Athletic’s Diante Lee, formerly of PFF, detailed how Diggs’ massive frame — his wingspan is over 6-foot-6 — and ability to maintain top speed allow him to successfully employ a jump-press technique. This is, of course, a risky endeavor and shows up in his low PFF grade. But considering the Cowboys’ middling 2022 schedule and Diggs’ youth, he should still be successful even if he breaks up fewer passes.
This is a rather fair look at Diggs’ overall body of work with a spin on what it could look like. There is no question that he has all of the physical tools to play the way that we saw last season, it’s just a matter of his continued development at the cornerback position (which he has still only been playing at a high level for a few years now).
At the end of PFF’s assessment they note that the list of quarterbacks whom Diggs will face off against this season isn’t exactly ripe with Hall of Famers. You can only play who is on your schedule, but it should all lend towards him having another successful campaign, even if his interception total dips a bit.