Texas Ex Quandre Diggs impressing at Detroit Lions OTAs

Stop me if you've heard this before -- former Texas Longhorns star and sixth-round Detroit Lions draft pick Quandre Diggs is impressing Lions coaches and players at recent OTAs.

It's truly a familiar story for Quandre the Giant, as he's been proving people wrong his entire life. Heading to the NFL, many thought he was too short at 5'9 and too slow after posting a 4.56 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

But quarterback Matthew Stafford is already a fan of Diggs.

"He's got a natural feel," Stafford said. "(He) made a play the other day in the red zone that wasn't even on the ball. I wasn't in the game, I was just watching from afar, and was like, 'Man, our QB wanted to throw it, and he just took it away at the last second.'

"He's got a good feel in zone, and I think he's a feisty kind of competitor in man. He's going to be around the football trying to make plays on it."

Feistiness. Instincts. Sounds like exactly the same qualities that made Diggs a four-year starter at Texas and three-time All-Big 12 selection.

Head coach Charlie Strong came to love Diggs during his one season in Austin and Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is starting to feel the same way.

"I like that guy," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "He's scrappy, he's tough, he's got good ball skills, he's got good football sense that I've seen so far. So, we'll just see how once we get into pads, once we get him in game situations, but I think he's got a great background."

Diggs is also taking advantage of a big opportunity -- Bill Bentley is still recovering from his torn ACL and third-round pick Alex Carter missed time while finishing his academic studies at Stanford. Nevin Lawson also suffered a season-ending injury last year and is only working out in individual drills.

There's still plenty of competition, but Diggs has been playing multiple cornerback positions and even returning kicks for the first time since his freshman year of college. Providing special teams value should help Diggs solidify a roster spot and perhaps even find some early playing time.