5 Cowboys who earned themselves larger roles in 2021
player. 123. . . . Trevon Diggs, CB. 1
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys got lucky when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell onto their lap at pick 17. With a glaring need at defensive positions, it was a no brainer where Jerry Jones should look in the second round.
When the Cowboys were on the clock with the 51st pick in the draft, they saw a raw player with high potential. They selected cornerback Trevon Diggs.
His late transition to cornerback made people think that he would need time to become reliable at the NFL level. Well, he developed a lot faster than expected. The rookie was just as advertised and more.
The Cowboys wanted an aggressive cornerback, and that is what they got. Diggs showed this by taking risks leaping to get his hands on the ball. Sometimes it works, other times not so much.
The point is they finally grabbed a cornerback that has big-play potential. His season was cut short to only 12 games due to a foot injury, but he still had enough time to catch some eyes.
Diggs got his hands on the football 17 times. That consists of three interceptions and 14 passes defended. His passes defended led the team by nine and tied for eighth in the NFL.
The rookie was also able to hold opposing quarterbacks to a jaw-dropping 54.5 percent completion percentage. That ranks him second in the NFL among rookies.
With number one corner Chidobe Awuzie out, Diggs stepped up and covered the top wide receivers. That included D.K. Metcalf, Jarvis Landry, and DeAndre Hopkins. Those are tough matchups for any cornerback, nevermind a rookie.
The three receivers only had 11 receptions. However, those receivers combined for 231 yards and one touchdown. Those 11 combined receptions average to 21 yards per reception.
With that, Diggs allowed only a 50 percent completion percentage to those receivers. It shows that he will either force an incompletion or give up a big play.
Not many young cornerbacks have as good a year as Trevon Diggs did in 2020. The fact that he will still be 22-years-old come the start of the 2021 season blows my mind. He would have earned a starting job on any NFL team, and he got the top spot on the Dallas Cowboys.
Trevon Diggs is a Pro Bowl-caliber player after only one season, and Tyler Biadasz is the reincarnation of Travis Frederick. Donovan Wilson is in line to bring stability to the back end of Dallas’ defense.
Tony Pollard’s determination and opportunistic flashes earned him a more consistent role alongside Ezekiel Elliott. Randy Gregory’s stability off the field will result in Dallas having a stable force opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence.
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In all the darkness this season, there were some flashes of life, especially among the Cowboys’ youngsters. They played well enough to garner more opportunities this upcoming season. Their development helps the Dallas Cowboys in becoming a Super Bowl contender once again.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference