It’s been a long time since anyone could call Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs elite.
Through injuries and, now, a bizarre off field incident, Diggs has been one of the NFL’s most disappointing players since he signed one of the largest contracts for a cornerback in league history before the 2023 season.
Since then, Diggs’ 5-year, $97 million contract extension has become arguably the NFL’s worst non-quarterback contract and it’s left the Cowboys wondering how they might eventually replace him.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine and Daniel Harms thinks that solution might come in the 2026 NFL draft, where the Cowboys might be a perfect fit for LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
“Delane is a complete cornerback now playing in a defense where he can thrive,” Harms wrote. “The 6’0″, 190-pound defensive back has been a shutdown corner for the LSU Tigers, putting his top-tier skills on display in the national spotlight, which has improved his standing in Bleacher Report’s rankings significantly.”
Transfer Put Delane in National Spotlight
Delane, 6-foot and 191 pounds, played his first 3 seasons of college football at Virginia Tech, where he was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and named All-ACC in 2024 before he transferred to LSU.
Getting to play and thriving against the nation’s best competition thrust him onto draft boards. Through 7 games against SEC play, he has 33 tackles, 1 interception and 7 pass deflections. For his career, Delane has 7 interceptions, including 4 picks in 2024.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Delane listed as the No. 4 cornerback on his 2026 Big Board.
On October 28, Delane was announced as one of the semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate defensive back.
From NFL Draft Buzz: “After cutting his teeth at Virginia Tech for three seasons where he started 29 consecutive games, Mansoor Delane made the calculated decision to bet on himself and transfer to LSU for his final collegiate campaign. This wasn’t just another player looking for NIL money — this was a future pro meticulously plotting his path to Sundays.”
Complicated Conundrum for Cowboys Cornerbacks
The best thing for the Cowboys to do would be to try and find a trade partner for Diggs, which is a long shot and became even harder when he suffered a bizarre injury at home on October 16 — the Cowboys called it a concussion — and has missed the last 2 games.
On October 25, Diggs was placed on injured reserve, meaning he’ll be out until at east Week 13, when the Cowboys host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day.
The Cowboys seem to have already been planning for the future beyond Diggs at cornerback.
They shelled out another massive contract at the position when they signed NFL All-Pro DaRon Bland to a 4-year, $90 million contract extension on August 31.
The Cowboys also took a modest swing in the 2025 NFL draft when they selected East Caroliina’s Shavon Revel in the third round (No. 76 overall) with the thought they may have gotten first round value at the spot.
Revel, 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, was an All-AAC pick for the Pirates in 2023 and projected as a first round pick before he tore his ACL in practice just 3 games into the season and saw his draft stock dip.
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