Could Alabama CB Trevon Diggs be the Chiefs' solution at corner?

Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs is new to the position, but Kansas City could choose to draft the project at 32 and develop his unique size in the Chiefs' defensive backfield.

By the numbers:

6’1”, 205 pounds. No 40-yard dash. 32-¾” arms, 9-⅜” hands.

37 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes broken up, two fumble recoveries in 2019.

Positives:

You can’t teach size, and Trevon Diggs has plenty of it. Standing just over 6’1” and weighing around 205 pounds, he’s capable of lining up against any NFL wide receiver. His footwork and agility are both surprisingly good for a corner of his stature, which bodes well for him when covering smaller, faster receivers.

This could probably also be listed in the “negatives,” but Diggs is still relatively new to the cornerback position. He was a wide receiver until his sophomore season at Alabama, and 2019 was his only complete campaign to date. He has a ton of room to improve and is already an impressive prospect thanks to his unique physical gifts.

Diggs thrives in zone coverage but can also play in press-man thanks to his playmaker mindset and terrific size. He also did some kick and punt return work in college, which is always a plus for a team like the Chiefs.

Negatives:

One of the downsides of Diggs’ larger-than-average size is that he isn’t an elite-level athlete. On top of that, he’s raw at the position and doesn’t have top-shelf technique necessary to make up for it. That isn’t a recipe for immediate success against receivers with savvy and/or speed. He relies on his instincts at times as a former receiver but with time, that should become less of a problem.

Tackling is arguably the worst part of his game right now and at his size, teams would like to see a lot more from him there. Durability will also be a concern moving forward, as Diggs has already suffered a major injury — a broken foot in 2018 — and some other minor ones in his few years as a corner.

How Diggs fits with KC:

Diggs is still raw as a cornerback so for now, he’d probably be best-suited to be relied upon in Cover-3 looks or as an aggressor at the line of scrimmage. His size is problematic for opposing receivers, and they may have a hard time dealing with him off the jump.

Diggs has a special set of tools that need a specific scheme in order to be brought out. With Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton already in place, Steve Spagnuolo could give him a bit of time to develop before throwing him into the fire along the boundary full-time.

Final thoughts:

Trevon Diggs isn’t great at much, but you can’t teach his blend of length and strength. He’s a fiery competitor and has a high ceiling with a lot left to learn at cornerback. Is there a better place for him to study the game than in Kansas City with Spagnuolo, Mathieu and Thornhill?