Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs had an up-and-down rookie season.
The second round pick in 2020 was thrust into high snap counts early on due to both injury and ineptitude around him, and results through the first few games were not great. Diggs gave up a few big plays, sometimes due to busted coverages and other times due to poor play, and then was forced to miss four games with a foot injury.
The highs for Diggs in 2020, though, were as high as a rookie corner has had in Dallas in a very long time.
Diggs finished tied for the rookie lead with three interceptions on the year, and had the lowest burn rate amongst all rookies. He also finished with 14 passes defended, second among all rookies. Diggs brought splash plays to a Cowboys secondary which seemingly never makes them, and that alone is cause of celebration.
You may remember that Trevon Diggs was actually targeted by the Cowboys 17th overall in the 2020 draft. Many thought it would’ve been a reach to take him there, but the fact they were able to wait until the second round to snag him may end up being a steal.
Now the question for Trevon Diggs becomes, where can he go from here?
Diggs can certainly improve upon his play recognition and overall consistency, but what may help him out the most is getting another talented cornerback opposite him on the defense. I believe Diggs will be at his best as the team’s CB2, rather than being the top cornerback on the roster.
If Dallas can go out and draft a Patrick Surtain out of Alabama in the first round to pair with Diggs, they will be setting their entire secondary up for a big leap as early as 2021. They’ll also lessen the burden on Diggs, who was obviously put in too big of a role too early on during his rookie season.
Retaining Chidobe Awuzie, drafting Surtain, and letting Diggs grow could be the recipe for a much improved secondary over the next couple of seasons.
