Cornerbacks typically endure miserable rookie seasons: The receivers they cover are bigger, faster and craftier than the ones they faced in college, while quarterbacks are quick to exploit their every blunder. But Trevon Diggs’s rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys was especially dreadful. The University of Alabama standout and second-round draft pick allowed easy touchdowns, whiffed on multiple tackles and often looked as though he wasn’t certain of his assignments.
One year later, Diggs leads the N.F.L. with six interceptions. He has intercepted at least one pass in every game this season.
Experience is not the only reason for Diggs’s improvement.