What are the Dallas Cowboys going to do at cornerback? Just one of the many questions that need to be answered when it comes to building the roster for America’s Team in 2020. The team’s top corner, Byron Jones, is set to be an unrestricted free agent. According to Patrik Walker and Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, Jones is likely to price himself out of Dallas when free agency begins in March.
This very real possibility, coupled with Anthony Brown also set to hit the open market, has put the cornerback position at the very top of the Cowboys needs. With that being said, there’s one name that’s starting to float around as the Cowboys pick at 17, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs.
Diggs began his career with the Crimson Tide as a wide receiver, defensive back, and return specialist in 2016. He would rack up five tackles on defense, 11 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown on offense, and 296 return yards. In his sophomore season, he only played defense and returned kicks. Diggs would total six tackles as a backup corner and 228 return yards.
In 2018, however, Diggs got his opportunity to be a starter. Everything was going according to plan as he would register 20 tackles, six passes defended, an interception, and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, though, he suffered a broken foot that ended his season after six games.
Watch “Alabama CB Trevon Diggs 2019 Highlights” on YouTube
Fully recovered from injury, Diggs would make his senior season the best of his career. He would tally 37 tackles, eight passes defended, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two touchdowns (interception return, fumble return). In Alabama’s biggest game of the regular season vs eventual National Champion LSU, albeit in a loss, Diggs had a career-high 10 tackles. For his stellar play, he would be named First-Team All-SEC and solidify himself as one of the best corners coming out of the collegiate ranks.
Diggs has everything you want in a corner. He’s a tall corner at 6’2 which allows him to use his length to contest a lot of throws and re-route receivers. His recovery speed mixed with that length gives him the ability to defend passes even if he’s trailing. He attacks the ball in the air which is exactly what you want in a corner. His technique is very good which means he doesn’t get beat off the line of scrimmage often and allows him to cover faster receivers.
As mentioned earlier, the Cowboys could be facing the reality of Byron Jones finding a new home in March. Also, Chidobe Awuzie is coming off a rough 2019 campaign as he would eventually be benched in favor of Jourdan Lewis, who will be one of the team’s top two corners in 2020. Safety has been the route most people think the Cowboys will go in round one, and they very well could, but if not, Diggs would give the team another promising young corner to groom for the future.
