Chipped

INDIANAPOLIS – Quandre Diggs didn’t need to confirm it in his press conference at the NFL Combine, but he did. He has a chip on his shoulder. It was evident in his tone, his body language and in his eyes. Even though when asked why he seemed so serious he said, “I just be chilling”, everybody present knew better. Quandre Diggs is very serious. The 32 teams in the league should be serious about him.

Diggs came back to finish his senior season, a decision he does not regret. During his interview he credited Charlie Strong as the reason he returned and talked about how much he learned. While all of that is true, the fact is that Diggs has a chip on his shoulder.

ESPN’s draft analyst Todd McShay said Diggs lacks elite size and top-end speed for a cover corner, suiting a team best as a nickel corner. The overall sense from McShay was that Diggs is a player who is limited in his ability to impact games.

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock echoed those thoughts, saying, “Diggs will get banged for his size.” Mayock added, “He has to run at, or below the 4.5 range in the 40 if he wants to be viewed as more than a nickel/package guy.” Although McShay and Mayock are correct in their assessments, understand that 70 percent of offensive plays in the NFL last year were run against the nickel package. McShay also added that Diggs’ ball instincts were very good. The truth is that Diggs does lack ideal size and lacks the elite speed possessed by the best defensive backs in the game. But Diggs said he doesn’t pay attention to the analysis.

Everybody present knew better – Diggs has a chip on his shoulder. Diggs bet on himself when he returned for his senior season, and he improved. Regardless of his extra year, he didn’t play himself into the discussion of best defensive backs in the draft.

McShay and Mayock aren’t morons with an agenda; they are professionals. McShay said Diggs had a great senior bowl and probably the best season he has had while at Texas. But ‘Quandre the Giant’ is receiving small praise and viewed as a day-three draft pick.

Diggs said he doesn’t worry about where he will be drafted and that he just needs one team to love him in order to move on to a successful career. But everybody present, including Diggs, knew better.

Diggs was on point, answering generic pre-draft questions with generic pre-draft answers. It’s what every one of the players at the Combine does. It’s what they’re supposed to do – but Diggs has a chip on his shoulder.

Not the generic pre-draft chip that every one of these guys have on their shoulders. No. Diggs has a real sense of angst fueled with spiteful motivation that burns so intense you sense it when sitting next to him.

If you’ve followed Texas Football, you know how Diggs is. He speaks his mind. He’s honest. He considers it one of his best qualities, adding that team personnel he’s met with love that about him.

While most guys shied from certain questions, or answered with generic premeditated answers, Diggs made it perfectly clear who he is and what he thinks about himself. The same was true when his abilities in question were brought to his attention.

Diggs didn’t refute those remarks the way Seattle’s Richard Sherman does, accompanied with yelling and eye brow raising comments. Rather Diggs did so as a guy who’s simply ‘chilling’. You know, the way that reinforces self-confidence without tip-toeing the boundaries of arrogance and insecurity.

“I think I’m the most physical corner in the draft, honestly,” Diggs said. “I think (if) you put on the tape it will show how intellectual I am, how smart, how physical, how passionate I am about the game. I learned so much this past year. I was able to do a lot more, play inside, play outside, play zone, or play man. I can do it all. I’ve done it my whole career. I just let (analysts) think what they think.”

And then the moment that everybody was anticipating finally came: .

“I feel like I don’t get the respect I deserve. But I guess I’ll just (have to) show guys.”