Getty Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on December 11, 2022.
Stefon Diggs brought in some unlikely help in his bid to win the NFL Pro Bowl’s Best Catch contest.
The Buffalo Bills wide receiver is taking part in the skills competition prior to the newly revamped NFL showcase. In the Best Catch competition, the league noted that players show off their “creativity, inventiveness and talent” with fans voting for their favorite submission and the players with the highest totals advancing to the finals on Sunday.
In the first round on Thursday, competitors “showcase their best receptions in highlight reels shot at iconic venues around Las Vegas.” Diggs chose the rooftop pool at Drai’s Beachclub & Nightclub for his iconic location, and one of the league’s most notorious draft busts for his quarterback.
Stefon Diggs Dazzles in the Pool
In a video the Bills posted on Twitter on February 3, Diggs was seen lounging on a pool float and talking on a phone when former NFL quarterback Jimmy Clausen spotted him poolside. The former Notre Dame signal caller tossed three balls to Diggs, who caught the first in each of his hands and snagged the final one between his legs.
Though his video earned some buzz, Diggs’ decision to select Clausen as his quarterback also turned heads. Though he was a standout in college, Clausen failed to find success in the NFL and SI.com’s Jason Hewitt called him the second-biggest draft bust in Carolina Panthers history in a 2021 story.
“Here are the abysmal stats from his playing time: 1,558 yards, three touchdowns, and nine interceptions,” Hewitt wrote. “Luckily, the one silver lining from this experience was that Panthers drafted this guy named Cam Newton the year after Clausen. He turned out to be pretty good.”
Clausen retired from football in 2015 after six seasons in the NFL.
Diggs Has Tight Competition for Skills Contest
Though Diggs’ dexterity made for a viral video, he will have his work cut out for him in trying to advance in the Best Catch competition. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson — who may have had the best catch of the season in an overtime win over the Buffalo Bills — had a doozy of a submission as well.
#BestCatch Justin Jefferson!
📺: 2023 #ProBowlGames on ESPN
Jefferson teamed up with former USC and one-time Bills quarterback Matt Leinart for his submission. Leinart stood atop the Eiffel Tower on the Las Vegas strip and threw down to Jefferson, who snagged a catch on his third attempt.
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II may have had an even higher degree of difficulty for his catch. Surtain also teamed up with Leinart, who connected with the Broncos cornerback as he rode on the “Zoomline” zipline on the Las Vegas strip.
It’s a bird … it’s a plane …
It’s @PatSurtainll making the #BestCatch at the #ProBowlGames‼️
📺: ESPN
Though the Bills receiver took part in the competition last year, it was actually another Diggs who won the title. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, Stefon’s brother, ended up taking home the title.
Afterward, Diggs said he wanted to prove that defensive backs can catch too.
“I had to represent for all my DBs out there,” Trevon Diggs said, via the USA Today’s CowboysWire. “They say that we can’t catch. It’s a new age; we can catch.”
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Bills WR Stefon Diggs Teams Up With Notorious Draft Bust at Pro Bowl