July is the peak of rankings season, so everyone is rolling out their best-players-at-each position lists. Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire recently ranked the top 13 safeties in the NFL going into the 2022 season. Seahawks starter Quandre Diggs came in at No. 9 on that list, just ahead of new Saints superstar Tyrann Mathieu.
For most football people the secret is out as far as Diggs is concerned. In Detroit he was overlooked for obvious reasons but since coming to Seattle he’s been playing his position at an elite level. Not everyone has gotten the memo, though. Some folks are still underrating Diggs’ ability compared to his competitors. For one example, in ESPN’s recent top-10 safeties list by polling league executives Diggs was inexplicably left out. Meanwhile, Jamal Adams just made the cut.
Bizarre as they are neither of those things are as weird as excluding both Bills studs Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, who made No. 1 on Farrar’s list.
ESPN poll for Safetieshttps://t.co/MIyd9RExWu
1) Justin Simmons
2) Minkah Fitzpatrick
3) Kevin Byard
4) Derwin James
5) Budda Baker
6) Jessie Bates
7) Harrison Smith
8) Marcus Williams
9) Antoine Winfield
10) Jamal Adams*I think Mathieu, Diggs and Poyer should also be listed pic.twitter.com/Lim7el2Kun
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 9, 2022
It’s strange that Diggs is still getting overlooked as much as he is. Posting 13 interceptions in two and a half seasons used to be the kind of thing that earned a DB universal respect. Diggs isn’t playing recklessly for those numbers ala Marcus Peters, either. His coverage has been as solid as anyone can expect during that time – having only surrendered a total of four touchdowns (via Pro Football Reference) and extremely low passer ratings in both 2019 (55.4) and 2021 (63.4).
Possibly it’s because Diggs has made the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons but hasn’t been able to play in the game itself – first due to the pandemic and then because of his leg injury last year.
No. 6 isn’t sweating it, though. Here’s how he responded.
Lol in my eyes i’m the best ever idc what y’all think!
— Nino (@qdiggs6) July 9, 2022
A healthy attitude for anybody who plays what might be the game’s most dangerous and underappreciated position. In any case, Diggs knows how good he is and that’s all that really matters.
