Cornerbacks and their importance to a defense is not to be underestimated. Their primary duty, in most cases, is to prevent the offense’s top receiver from getting a big gain or score. Shutdown corners are debatably the most important position on the defensive side due to the NFL’s ongoing emphasis on offensive prominence. If you ask Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the list of corners worth the praise is one for brevity.
Stefon Diggs and Trevon Diggs:
Speaking in a cover story on his relationship with his brother and fellow NFL star Trevon Diggs for Sports Illustrated, Stefon only listed three cornerbacks who “really follow” No. 1 receivers on a game-by-game basis. These players are Xavien Howard, Marshon Lattimore, and his brother Trevon.
Howard plays for division rival Miami Dolphins, thus there’s recent history there. Lattimore and Diggs have competed a few times since 2017, dating back to when Diggs played for the Vikings. And Trevon is his brother—the bias is obvious there.
Additional Insights
Also relevant and slightly incendiary material present in the story includes Stefon telling his brother the following:
“I told Tre this a while ago: ‘Bro, 70% of [NFL] receivers are gonna be easy to check,” Stefon says. “There’s only like seven to eight spicy receivers who can catch, can create separation, can run fast, can stop. . . .’”
The kind of confidence on display is great to see as a fan of the team, but infuriating for others. These kinds of comments can often be used as bulletin board material for upcoming matches to use as extra incentive. Even so, it can be refreshing to see a player speak their mind so openly and praise their brother so effortlessly.
In Conclusion:
It’s worth it to read the rest of the story—there’s a lot of effort put into detailing the close bond between two brothers who happen to play in the NFL together. Although, the (very) short list of corners Stefon Diggs tossed in will be the highlight for many. For better or for worse.
