NFL Scout Compares Stefon Diggs To Ted Ginn Jr., Praises Kilgo
Dane Brugler of CBS Sports has been covering the NFL Draft for awhile now, so his opinion is valid when it comes to recognizing talent in the college ranks. With a few players on the Maryland Terrapins roster ready to make the jump from college to the pro’s, Brugler sat down to look at some game film from these Terps. Namely, guys like Stefon Diggs, Maryland’s crown jewel at wide receiver.
Most agree that he’s one of the best receivers in the nation and a lock to get drafted as soon as this season (his junior one), but apparently Brugler thinks he may be a bit…overrated. His tweets:
#Maryland tape study tonight. Not as impressed with WR Stefon Diggs as I thought I'd be. No question the talent though, mixes his gears well
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) July 24, 2014
@RobertKlemko Hah. I see a lot of Ted Ginn w/ Diggs. Home run threat on offense and ST. Lean muscled, still developing w/ his routes
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) July 24, 2014
Ted Ginn Jr.? Woof.
As a college player, Ginn was as variable as they come with over 4,000 total yards gained in a lot of different ways. Sure, he caught passes, but he was also one of the most electric return men to ever play the game. Ever seen an entire stadium (opposing defense included) watch a player, slack-jawed with awe? That was Ginn back in college. To be compared to Ted Ginn the college player is an honor, and Diggs does carry some of that same zeal when he steps onto the field.
But as an NFL player? Ginn isn’t awful, he’s just had a decidedly iffy career. Ginn’s main knock leaving college was his inability to run routes properly. He’ll always be an okay option as a return man, but as a 7th overall pick, he was not able to make the transition to full-time receiver. Diggs does need to work on becoming better at the technical aspects of being a receiver rather than relying on his speed and elusiveness alone, and the addition of Keenan McCardell to the staff should help that. But if he’s where Ginn was at in college, Diggs has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a dominant pro, not an aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada kind of player.
But Brugler had better things to say about the Terps NT Darius Kilgo, however:
Watching tape on NT Darius Kilgo and #93 for #Maryland continues to flash. No surprise when I looked it up, he led the team in sacks and TFL
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) July 24, 2014
Kilgo’s entering into his senior season after having a tremendous junior year with 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and 37 total tackles. He’s got prototypical size for a nose tackle and could shoot up draft boards if he can dominate in the Big Ten. Maryland’s had good luck getting players drafted, so perhaps these two can continue that trend provided they both keep improving.