Wide receiver Stefon Diggs attempts to break a tackle during the Terps’ 40-37 loss to West Virginia on Sept. 13, 2014, at Byrd Stadium.
Stefon Diggs burst into action on the first snap from the line of scrimmage in the 2011 WCAC football championship. The wide receiver took the hand-off on a jet sweep play to the right side and was met by a swarm of Gonzaga defenders.
But Diggs didn’t panic. The Good Counsel senior planted his right foot, leaving one Eagles defender reaching at air. Diggs then reversed the field as he built up speed, leaving a trail of Gonzaga players in his wake.
“He just evaded everybody on their team,” Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy said. “It was like backyard football to him.”
Seventy yards later, the Falcons star gently placed the ball down in the end zone as his teammates caught up to congratulate him. His opening score set the tone for a 42-0 rout that secured Good Counsel’s first undefeated season in school history.
It was the type of explosive play Terrapins football fans grew accustomed to watching over the past three seasons. But now, the former Terps star is headed to the next level. Diggs opted to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft, which starts Thursday and runs through Saturday.
And the Gaithersburg native can’t wait for the moment his name is called at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 5, so it’s a long time coming,” Diggs said during a phone interview Monday. “I’ve got a lot of emotions built up inside, and I can’t wait to let it all go.”
Diggs spurned offers from top football programs such as Ohio State, Florida and Auburn to play for his home school. The No. 13 overall recruit in the nation according to ESPN.com, Diggs made an instant impact with the Terps, finishing second in the ACC Rookie of the Year voting in 2012.
Despite dealing with an inconsistent quarterback situation over his three years — five different signal-callers saw action during his time with the Terps, including converted linebacker Shawn Petty — Diggs hauled in 150 career catches (fourth all-time) and 2,227 yards (second all-time).
“He’s got the biggest hands I’ve ever seen in my life,” Milloy said. “He’s a real talent, he really is. Somebody is going to get a real good player.”
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein projects the 6-foot, 195-pound wideout to be selected in the third or fourth round of the draft. While Diggs said he can’t wait for the emotional release of being selected, that won’t be the moment it feels real.
“It’s going to be the first game I play,” Diggs said. “Having your name called is not even half the battle. That’s just the glitz and the glamour.”
While Diggs enters the draft listed as a wide receiver, many of his highlight-reel plays with the Terps came as a kick returner. As a freshman with the Terps, Diggs took two returns to the house.
He was also very versatile in high school. Diggs played both sides of the ball, and Milloy called him an “unbelievable cornerback. He just shut people down.” Milloy has told the NFL teams that have called him about Diggs that he could play defensive back professionally, too.
“Over the course of the … four years, he just did things that, to be honest with you, normal people just can’t do,” Milloy said.
While the NFL will pose faster, stronger competition, Milloy believes Diggs’ explosive and elusive style will still translate to success.
“I still think at the end of the year, guys are going to talk about the plays that Stefon Diggs made,” Milloy said. “He’s just one of those kind of guys.”
