The Joe Dumars Jersey proof was in the numbers for the defense last season, as a league-high 34 forced turnovers showed the elite production the team is hopefully capable of replicating in the near future despite an early playoff exit in January.How good were they? Detailed statistics displaying the true effectivene s of top players in the secondary hasn't been common knowledge for fans - until now. released its list Monday of the top 10 pre s cornerbacks. Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown both make an appearance, speaking well of the vast improvements made to the defense overall last season in Dan Quinns first year as coordinator.PFF created a composite score that factors in a weighted average of a cornerback's normalized stats like reps, targets, pa s breakups, yards allowed, and more. When averaging it all out, Diggs ranked No. 1 amongst all cornerbacks with a composite score of 2.92, while Brown came in at No. 9 with a composite score of 1.09.Here's what the rankings had to say about Diggs:Much ado has been made already about Diggs All-Pro 2021 season and how his gaudy interception total may not reflect his true coverage ability. The Athletic's Diante Lee, formerly of PFF, detailed how Diggs ma sive frame his wingspan is over 6-foot-6 and ability to maintain top speed allow him to succe Grant Hill Jersey sfully employ a jump-pre s technique. This is, of course, a risky endeavor and shows up in his low PFF grade. But considering the Cowboys middling 2022 schedule and Diggs youth, he should still be succe sful even if he breaks up fewer pa ses.And about Brown:While Brown is certainly great at bullying opposing receivers, leading to his four defensive pa s interference penalties against the Raiders in 2021, he plays in an advantageous system in Dallas. Trevon Diggs presence allows Brown Bill Laimbeer Jersey to frequently match up with an opponents No. 2 receiver, and the quick pre sure the Cowboys get from Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons minimizes how long he has to cover for. So, while Brown is strong in pre s coverage, his ranking here is likely inflated due to his environment.Diggs, of course, led the league with 11 interceptions last season. He was the first player to reach that mark in a single season since former Cowboys cornerback Everson Walls had 11 of his own in 1981.The Alabama product's knack for interceptions was impre sive, but film often showed him playing far off the line in an attempt to avoid getting beat deep. This isn't exactly the kind of action one would see from a pre s corner. Except ...Scroll to ContinueNow, the release of PFF's composite score proves that his pre s coverage ability was tops in the league. After all, Diggs' ability to quickly recover to the ball for picks allows Isiah Thomas Jersey him to play 10 yards off when nece sary and break on the ball when the time is right.To some Cowboys fans, Brown has been seen as a liability in the secondary at times during his six seasons with the team. But in 2021, he was second on the team in interceptions (three), pa ses defended (17), and was third in total tackles (59). These were all career highs for the 2016 sixth-round pick.As mentioned in the rankings, Brown's succe ses last season could be a result of the elite playmakers littered acro s the rest of Quinn's unit causing havoc and drawing all the attention. But even in the first 18-game season in league history, he still easily eclipsed his numbers from previous seasons. Credit should be given where it's due.He'll still need to lower his penalty totals, as Brown's 13 accepted Ersan Ilyasova Jersey defensive pa s interference calls leads all Dallas defensive backs since 2009.Both Brown and Diggs will have tons to prove in the 2022-23 season. , while the latter will need to show that his 11-pick season wasn't a fluke.But w and a front seven that is aiming for a full season of good health, there's no reason why Dallas' secondary can't replicate the impre sive numbers of 2021 starting this September.