FRISCO, Texas – In case you needed the reminder, Trevon Diggs is a quick study.
At Tuesday night's Reliant Home Run Derby, as Diggs and his teammates took batting practice to raise money for charity, he was asked about his past experience with baseball.
"I've never swung a bat in my life," he joked.
Sure enough, by the end of his night, he was making solid contact and even smacked his last attempt over the fence for a home run.
There's an obvious parallel here. It's easy to forget after a season that saw him snag 11 interceptions, but 2021 was just his fifth season playing cornerback. As has been well-documented by now, the 23-year-old switched from receiver to cornerback as sa sophomore at Alabama and hasn't looked back.
"I'm still new playing corner, so I have a lot of things I have to work on," he said.
That's a scary thought for a guy who was named first-team All-Pro in his second NFL season. Diggs was a highly-touted draft prospect and enjoyed a successful season, but leading the league in picks is another level of spotlight entirely.
"I'm just trying to stack success, keep grinding, working on the little things and focus on next season," Diggs said. "Last season happened, but I'm on to next year."
It's a smart approach, but it's going to take some dedication on Diggs' part. There's a shockingly divisive narrative around a guy who played as well as Diggs last year, as plenty of people are quick to point out potential shortcomings in coverage. ProFootballFocus credits him with 1,016 yards allowed last season, which is a hot talking point among fans and media.
That's not likely to go away – especially since, as he enters his third year, Diggs will be eligible for a contract extension in 2023. Asked about taking too many chances on Tuesday night, Diggs made it clear he bristles a bit at the conversation.
"I don't know what taking chances means, I play football," he said.
That he does. And if he maintains that quick rate of study, it's scary to think how high the ceiling could be.
