Detroit Lions: Three players to target in the second round of the NFL draft
By Bob Heyrman
CB Trevon Diggs – Alabama
Last season Bob Quinn and the Detroit Lions traded away Quandre Diggs, so after quite a bit of push-back from the Lions’ players and fans, why not select a Diggs in the draft?
Although Trevon has no relation to Quandre, he is the younger brother of the star wide receiver Stefon Diggs who Lions’ fans know very well as he plays for the rival Minnesota Vikings. So there is some football pedigree in his veins.
Trevon Diggs enters the NFL draft via the Alabama Crimson Tide. He’s a player that was initially projected to be selected as a mid-second round player but is rising everywhere you look. He has a great chance to be taken late in the first round, but there is a chance he’s available when the Detroit Lions pick in round two.
If he’s available, this is a perfect choice, especially if the Lions have an opportunity to take Chase Young with their first-round selection. Detroit desperately needs help at the cornerback position, and depending on if the team decides to trade Darius Slay, it’s a position that will need to be addressed immediately.
Diggs is a 6’2 athletic corner who has the potential to be a number-one corner in the NFL. His size will allow him to compete with the large outside receivers throughout the NFL like Davante Adams, Julio Jones, and Mike Evans.
His athleticism also allows him to excel, covering the smaller, shifty receivers such as his brother Stefon. Trevon Diggs earlier in his Alabama career lined up as a wide receiver as a freshman catching 11 balls totaling 88 yards and a touchdown.
Diggs recorded a career-highs across the board recording 3 interceptions, 1 touchdown, and 20 tackles as a senior. Those stats don’t exactly pop out, but as we often see, the better corners across the league are rarely targeted. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 44.5% passer rating against last season, which is spectacular.
Diggs is a candidate to be selected by the Detroit Lions even if the team ends up taking Jeffery Okudah in the first round. The rookie cornerback duo combined with second-year corner Amani Oruwariye, slot specialist Justin Coleman and potentially the All-Pro Darius Slay if the two sides can reach an agreement.