What if we drafted Travon Diggs at 17?

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
We clearly won the lottery with the CeeDee Lamb pick and the scenario the team was hoping for going in was K’Lavon Chaisson dropping to our pick at 17. But if both were off the board there were comments from the team that they were considering Trevon Diggs at that spot. Dallas clearly had a higher grade on Diggs and was thrilled he dropped to 50. But if he had been the pick at 17, would he still have been a good pick?

Look at the recent drafts. Dane Brugler had Diggs rated as a late first who would have been somewhat of a reach to take at 17. But if you look at the Dallas first round and very high second round picks, 5 out of 7 picks they have made in the last seven drafts were somewhat of a reach also – but made the Pro Bowl and were clearly worth a higher draft position. (The other two are Zack Martin and Taco Charlton).

I’ll copy some of the draft profiles below, all these players had warts or weaknesses that made the media question the Dallas pick to some degree.


2018: LVE – One year starter who didn’t take on blocks well. Considered a mild reach at the time.


2016 and 2017: Jaylon Smith (a gamble who recovered from knee surgery) and Taco Charlton (who developed Late Onset *******edness)


2015: Byron Jones didn’t have an athletic frame or top timed speed, he didn’t get a Senior Bowl invite. Mild reach at the time.


2014: Zack Martin was picked right at his expected spot, but was still considered an average athlete


2014: DLaw – Mild reach, lacked an athletic build and had questionable maturity. A lot of Dallas fans hated trading up for him (including me).


2013: Frederick – Ran a sundial 40 and most draft reports criticized the pick, though he went to 5 Pro Bowls and would obviously go much higher in a redraft. Dallas got crucified for taking him in a trade down instead of Sherrif Floyd, who washed out of the NFL after 24 starts in 4 seasons.


Going off recent history and Dallas scouting, Diggs would still have been a good pick if taken at 17.
 

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
These are the draft writeups on each player’s weakness from either Dan Brugler or NFL.com


Trevon Diggs from Brugler:


STRENGTHS: Tall, long corner with the strength of a safety…lower body twitch to stay composed in his movements and spring in any direction…balanced in space to stay within arm’s length of receivers, easily reacting to different routes…enough long-speed to stay attached to vertical routes…outstanding ball skills due to his hand-eye coordination, making athletic plays on the ball…gets his head turned and keeps an eye on the backfield to read both the man and the ball…skilled with his off hand and understands body position…uses a patient stab in press-man without sacrificing his footing…shows the play strength to shed perimeter blocks…rarely out-physicaled by receivers…competes with tremendous confidence…returned kicks and punts in college, averaging 9.2 yards per punt return (31/284/0).


WEAKNESSES: Not a technically sound player…tends to get lazy with his footwork and stance, hindering his breaks…wasn’t coached to pedal in college…prematurely opens his hips and makes it tougher on himself to shadow…handsy downfield with a bad habit of grabbing to slow routes…late to recognize route combinations…needs to improve his awareness of field landmarks (first down marker, sideline, etc.)…fast and physical downhill in run support, but often arrives too hot with wild tackling technique…missed most of his junior season due to a broken foot (October 2018), requiring season-ending surgery…missed one game as a sophomore due to a right foot injury (September 2017).


SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Alabama, Diggs lined up primarily at left cornerback in Nick Saban’s press-man heavy scheme, occasionally seeing snaps vs. the slot. He was better known as Stefon Diggs’ younger brother growing up, but he grew out of his shadow and carved his own path, playing his college ball at Alabama instead of Maryland and changing his number (wears No. 7 due to Tyrann Mathieu). Diggs arrived in Tuscaloosa as a two-way player and his offensive background benefits him on defense with his ball skills and awareness for what the offense is trying to do. He will drive his NFL defensive coaches crazy with his hopping around and sporadic technique, but his read/react skills and athleticism allow him to get away with it. Overall, Diggs needs to clean up his technique and discipline in coverage to reach his full potential, but he has shown improvement in those areas and projects as an NFL starter due to his size, twitch and competitive nature.





Zack Martin:


WEAKNESSES: Ordinary body style with average-at-best arm length – not physically impressive or imposing…only average lateral shuffle quickness and will struggle with edge speed…can be too much of a waist bender at times and allows his momentum to lean forward too much – appears much more comfortable in tighter quarters…still improving his pre-snap awareness to recognize extra pressure and make the proper adjustment…has never started inside with all of his experience coming on the edges at tackle.




DLaw:


WEAKNESSES: Narrow trunk and lacks elite size and muscle build for the position…needs to improve his POA strength when rushers get into his body, struggling to shed with an undeveloped anchor – can be controlled by single blockers at times…long speed is adequate at best…limited experience in coverage and needs to improve his body positioning and patience when asked to drop vs. the pass…work habits and overall character and maturity have been questioned – served three separate one-game suspensions (Oct. 2012 vs. UNLV, Dec. 2012 vs. Washington, Sept. 2013 vs. UT-Martin) for “violation of team rules” incidents.




Vander Esch from NFL.com


Has just one year of starting experience

Still filling out his frame

Has some struggles in taking on blocks and will get washed away by down blocks

Hasn't learned to use hands effectively to punch and separate

At times, will over pursue or run himself out of position in attempt to play fast and avoid having to deal with blockers
 

Proof

Well-Known Member
Messages
11,895
Reaction score
13,751
Who knows. Probably would’ve been a value reach, but ultimately a solid player. Kinda nuts how much fortune can change so drastically in the draft.

I can tell you one thing though, had Diggs been the first round pick there’d have been a group of posters who insisted he’d have been available at our next pick, and a group who’d scoff and say it was impossible.
 

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
I don't think Diggs was even in consideration at 17.
Maybe as early as 30 though.

Chaisson was the pick, but Lamb messed that up.

Chaisson was the pick, but if both were gone there were multiple media quotes that Diggs was in consideration for the pick after that -

Dallas even shored up its secondary in middle rounds, beginning with drafting cornerback Trevon Diggs at spot 51 … after considering him for 17.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...excites-jerry-jones-mike-mccarthy/3030748001/

It shows in the search for this article also but it doesn't load for me -

https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news...nderson-fall-back-plan-features-diggs-terrell
 

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
I think that Chaisson would've been the pick at 17 if it weren't for Lamb. If we landed both Chaisson and Diggs, I think we would have still been happy with the result. Not as much as getting Lamb though.

For sure, getting Lamb was wiinning the lottery like I said. Chaisson was clearly the target, but there have been plenty of drafts where the guy they targeted was gone before we picked. Diggs would have been the fall back option for sure, my main point is that he is a very good pick at 51 and would still have been a good pick had we been forced to take him at 17. CB was the only critical position of need for this draft also.
 

TheMarathonContinues

Well-Known Member
Messages
74,169
Reaction score
69,130
I would've had a issue with it. Well...it depends on who was there. If they passed up Chaisson for him I'd have a issue. I liked Diggs and even saw some early mocks having him go top 20.....but to me he was too raw to take there. I needed someone who I thought could have a immediate impact. And that was the tricky issue with where we drafted because it was going to be tough to get that there without someone massively falling. Which ended up happening with Lamb.
 

Manwiththeplan

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,158
Reaction score
7,667
If Lamb and let’s just say the two WRs that went before him were gone as well as Chaisson, I would have wanted Ruiz or Jefferson. But with two additional players gone...that also meant two more players would have been available. So it depends on who those two were...
 

darthseinfeld

Groupthink Guru
Messages
31,869
Reaction score
36,326
CowboysZone LOYAL Fan
I wouldnt have wanted him at 17.


The way it ended up, I wouldve taken Chaisson or Ruiz
I was kind of intruiged at the possibility of trading down for Ruiz and getting more picks. I think Ruiz is a future All Pro

However I wanted a WR in the first 2 rounds. I thought the 2nd would be a sweet spot for that. However the guys I liked in the 2nd all went much earlier. WR actually would have been very poor value for us in the 2nd. However I think the draft played out perfectly for us after taking a WR in the first
 

DFWJC

Well-Known Member
Messages
59,330
Reaction score
48,172
For sure, getting Lamb was winning the lottery like I said. Chaisson was clearly the target, but there have been plenty of drafts where the guy they targeted was gone before we picked. Diggs would have been the fall back option for sure, my main point is that he is a very good pick at 51 and would still have been a good pick had we been forced to take him at 17. CB was the only critical position of need for this draft also.
I really think that we would for sure trade down from 17 if Diggs was our top option. Even if the trade value wasn't perfect.
I'm guessing that even if Chaisson was also gone, Diggs would be 5th or 6th on our board at 17. Jmo Don't really know for sure, obviously.
 

WillieBeamen

BoysfanfromNY
Messages
15,149
Reaction score
43,555
I was kind of intruiged at the possibility of trading down for Ruiz and getting more picks. I think Ruiz is a future All Pro

However I wanted a WR in the first 2 rounds. I thought the 2nd would be a sweet spot for that. However the guys I liked in the 2nd all went much earlier. WR actually would have been very poor value for us in the 2nd. However I think the draft played out perfectly for us after taking a WR in the first
You dont like Mims?
 

CATCH17

1st Round Pick
Messages
66,922
Reaction score
84,276
I watched quite a bit of him before the draft..

I would’ve hated it..

We got him at a good spot.
 

Kaiser

Well-Known Member
Messages
16,628
Reaction score
28,430
I really think that we would for sure trade down from 17 if Diggs was our top option. Even if the trade value wasn't perfect.
I'm guessing that even if Chaisson was also gone, Diggs would be 6th or 7th on our board at 17. Jmo

Probably so, but I'm just saying he would have been a reach at 17 and 5 of our 7 recent top picks were considered a reach in the same area - but turned into Pro Bowl players.

There are three real takeaways:

1 - Diggs was great value at 51, Jerry said they figured it was a 1% chance he dropped to that spot.

2 - We have too many Dak threads

3 - We have too many Jason Garrett threads
 

Redball Express

All Aboard!!!
Messages
16,253
Reaction score
12,758
We clearly won the lottery with the CeeDee Lamb pick and the scenario the team was hoping for going in was K’Lavon Chaisson dropping to our pick at 17. But if both were off the board there were comments from the team that they were considering Trevon Diggs at that spot. Dallas clearly had a higher grade on Diggs and was thrilled he dropped to 50. But if he had been the pick at 17, would he still have been a good pick?

Look at the recent drafts. Dane Brugler had Diggs rated as a late first who would have been somewhat of a reach to take at 17. But if you look at the Dallas first round and very high second round picks, 5 out of 7 picks they have made in the last seven drafts were somewhat of a reach also – but made the Pro Bowl and were clearly worth a higher draft position. (The other two are Zack Martin and Taco Charlton).

I’ll copy some of the draft profiles below, all these players had warts or weaknesses that made the media question the Dallas pick to some degree.


2018: LVE – One year starter who didn’t take on blocks well. Considered a mild reach at the time.


2016 and 2017: Jaylon Smith (a gamble who recovered from knee surgery) and Taco Charlton (who developed Late Onset *******edness)


2015: Byron Jones didn’t have an athletic frame or top timed speed, he didn’t get a Senior Bowl invite. Mild reach at the time.


2014: Zack Martin was picked right at his expected spot, but was still considered an average athlete


2014: DLaw – Mild reach, lacked an athletic build and had questionable maturity. A lot of Dallas fans hated trading up for him (including me).


2013: Frederick – Ran a sundial 40 and most draft reports criticized the pick, though he went to 5 Pro Bowls and would obviously go much higher in a redraft. Dallas got crucified for taking him in a trade down instead of Sherrif Floyd, who washed out of the NFL after 24 starts in 4 seasons.


Going off recent history and Dallas scouting, Diggs would still have been a good pick if taken at 17.
These are the draft writeups on each player’s weakness from either Dan Brugler or NFL.com


Trevon Diggs from Brugler:


STRENGTHS: Tall, long corner with the strength of a safety…lower body twitch to stay composed in his movements and spring in any direction…balanced in space to stay within arm’s length of receivers, easily reacting to different routes…enough long-speed to stay attached to vertical routes…outstanding ball skills due to his hand-eye coordination, making athletic plays on the ball…gets his head turned and keeps an eye on the backfield to read both the man and the ball…skilled with his off hand and understands body position…uses a patient stab in press-man without sacrificing his footing…shows the play strength to shed perimeter blocks…rarely out-physicaled by receivers…competes with tremendous confidence…returned kicks and punts in college, averaging 9.2 yards per punt return (31/284/0).


WEAKNESSES: Not a technically sound player…tends to get lazy with his footwork and stance, hindering his breaks…wasn’t coached to pedal in college…prematurely opens his hips and makes it tougher on himself to shadow…handsy downfield with a bad habit of grabbing to slow routes…late to recognize route combinations…needs to improve his awareness of field landmarks (first down marker, sideline, etc.)…fast and physical downhill in run support, but often arrives too hot with wild tackling technique…missed most of his junior season due to a broken foot (October 2018), requiring season-ending surgery…missed one game as a sophomore due to a right foot injury (September 2017).


SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Alabama, Diggs lined up primarily at left cornerback in Nick Saban’s press-man heavy scheme, occasionally seeing snaps vs. the slot. He was better known as Stefon Diggs’ younger brother growing up, but he grew out of his shadow and carved his own path, playing his college ball at Alabama instead of Maryland and changing his number (wears No. 7 due to Tyrann Mathieu). Diggs arrived in Tuscaloosa as a two-way player and his offensive background benefits him on defense with his ball skills and awareness for what the offense is trying to do. He will drive his NFL defensive coaches crazy with his hopping around and sporadic technique, but his read/react skills and athleticism allow him to get away with it. Overall, Diggs needs to clean up his technique and discipline in coverage to reach his full potential, but he has shown improvement in those areas and projects as an NFL starter due to his size, twitch and competitive nature.





Zack Martin:


WEAKNESSES: Ordinary body style with average-at-best arm length – not physically impressive or imposing…only average lateral shuffle quickness and will struggle with edge speed…can be too much of a waist bender at times and allows his momentum to lean forward too much – appears much more comfortable in tighter quarters…still improving his pre-snap awareness to recognize extra pressure and make the proper adjustment…has never started inside with all of his experience coming on the edges at tackle.




DLaw:


WEAKNESSES: Narrow trunk and lacks elite size and muscle build for the position…needs to improve his POA strength when rushers get into his body, struggling to shed with an undeveloped anchor – can be controlled by single blockers at times…long speed is adequate at best…limited experience in coverage and needs to improve his body positioning and patience when asked to drop vs. the pass…work habits and overall character and maturity have been questioned – served three separate one-game suspensions (Oct. 2012 vs. UNLV, Dec. 2012 vs. Washington, Sept. 2013 vs. UT-Martin) for “violation of team rules” incidents.




Vander Esch from NFL.com


Has just one year of starting experience

Still filling out his frame

Has some struggles in taking on blocks and will get washed away by down blocks

Hasn't learned to use hands effectively to punch and separate

At times, will over pursue or run himself out of position in attempt to play fast and avoid having to deal with blockers
So I get it.

You want dialog on Diggs.

I would rather talk about his brother..more proven and more interesting.

I think he is rather average. He benefited from the team around him.

I do not think we have that sort of fefense yet.

Maybe DTR.

I sort of look at thim as Taco, Gregory and Tank. Position reaches with addiction peroblems that may or maynot work out.

He has no drug issues so far. But our team is brimming with possible suspensions.

I am not expecting profound changes with the drug policy going forward. Just less supensions maybe.

The NFL is still way behind societies curves.

So Diggs stay clean and increase your workouts to 3 a day.

My best advise.
 

darthseinfeld

Groupthink Guru
Messages
31,869
Reaction score
36,326
CowboysZone LOYAL Fan
You dont like Mims?
I actually do BUT I think he is more of a long term guy who will develop but might not be a real 2020 impact guy. I dont think he is game ready to be a #3 in an offense that starts 3 WR's right now

If Mims was the pick, I would to have seen them add a vet to play #3 for 2020. That way you have a #3 WR and you can still find ways to use Mims as your #4 without needing to play him heavily right now

Shenault was a other one I saw like that. But I think Mims has better upside. In a weaker WR, Mims is probably a 1st rounder
 
Top