Diggs Confident He Can Contribute For Lions: 'Don't Let The Speed Fool You'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Quandre Diggs does not shrink from questions about how, at 5-foot-9 and 196 pounds, with a 40-yard dash time of 4.56 seconds, he expects to be effective as an NFL cornerback.
The former Texas standout does the opposite, in fact.
"Don't let the speed fool you," Diggs said Saturday, after the Detroit Lions drafted him in the sixth round. "Don't let the height fool you. I'm a competitor. I can go out, I can play the game, and I can get those things done. It's all about just going out and proving it again."
Diggs has some experience defying the odds. He started 49 games in his college career - including 11 as a true freshman - at a school that typically does not have young starters.
"I think that just speaks to the volumes of the dedication, the work, the drive that I have, the kind of mentality I have," Diggs said. "You don't come into Texas and be a four-year starter. You rarely see those type of guys, so I think that kind of drove me ... kind of like the situation today.
"I was kind of a guy that kind of got picked up a little late," Diggs added. "I went and I proved those guys, and I'm looking forward to doing the same thing."
Diggs said his size will not stop him from doing what he needs to do on the field, but others have doubts.
From the ESPN Insider profile on Diggs: "Lack of size and long speed puts a cap on his range and man coverage skills. Often a liability against taller and more physical receivers in contested downfield situations."
From the NFL.com profile on Diggs: "Can be mismatched by tall receivers no matter where he plays on the field. Could struggle against short-area speedsters from slot."
Former scout and current NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah is more optimistic. He listed Cobbs as one of his underrated players in this year's draft.
"Diggs (5-9, 196 pounds) is an undersized cornerback with excellent toughness, quickness and instincts," Jeremiah wrote for NFL.com. "He is ideally suited to play in the nickel and reminds me of Corey Ivy, who enjoyed some success playing in Baltimore under Rex Ryan's tutelage. Diggs probably won't get picked in the first three rounds, but he can come in and contribute right away."
Diggs, the brother of longtime NFL cornerback Quentin Jammer, believes his football acumen helps him make up for any lack of speed.
"I feel like I'm the most intellectual player, the most intellectual DB in this draft just because of the way I know the game," Diggs said. "It's not about what you learn, what you test, it's about how you go out and play on Sundays. I think I'm just going to let that prove and I'm going to do that and show the coaches what I can do.
"I've been around the game my whole life," Diggs continued. "You guys know my brother played 12 years in the league. I grew up around it. The neighborhood I grew up in, that's what it is. It's all about being competitive, playing football. That's what the town was about. I was very blessed to be able to have great people in my life that kept me around the game and kept me to do the right things."
Diggs said Jammer, who Diggs said was actually with him as Diggs participated in the teleconference Saturday, has been his biggest influence in football.
"He's always there for me," Diggs said. "I talk to him every day. That's my idol. That's my role model. I love my brother to death. He was the first one to give me a hug today when I got that call."
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said Diggs will play nickel. He could also contribute on special teams; his first two seasons at Texas he returned kicks. While Diggs said the Lions did not talk to him about special teams, he said he will be willing to play anywhere.
"Wherever I can get on the field and play, I'll definitely be happy to help the team," Diggs said.
The Lions clearly believe he can contribute on the field, or they would not have drafted him, but they also like what he brings in the locker room. The team has made a point of bringing in high-character players, and from what Lions defensive backs coach Tony Oden has heard from the coaches at Texas, Diggs fits the bill.
"If you talk to their staff about him, they love him," Oden said Saturday. "When the new regime came in there at Texas, he was one of the guys that grabbed everybody and made sure everyone [was] accountable inside the locker room and on the field. We are excited about his leadership ability. We talked about him getting ready for the combine. He had a good attitude about him. He didn't know where he was going to land as far as the draft. One thing I told him is that it doesn't matter where you go and when you go; it matters what you do when you get there.
"We are fired up about him," Oden added, "I think he will make us better."