Jets rookie cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers believes in himself, his teammates, his coaches and his organization. He loves his new home and couldn't be happier even though he's a bit sore two weeks into his first NFL training camp.
On working against WR Garrett Wilson at practices, he said: "I think he's the best receiver in the NFL."
On learning the defensive scheme: "It's going good. We probably have one of the best coaching staffs in the league."
On sitting in the CBs meeting room among Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter, among others: "I'm in the greatest room in the world."
Stiggers is super-genuine, and he could shape up as one of the great stories in this year's NFL draft class with his journey from high school to no major college to Fan Controlled Football in his Atlanta hometown to the Canadian Football League to becoming a Jet in Round 5 of the April draft.
"Mentally, I feel good," Stiggers said after Saturday's practice and his first 10 days of camp. "My body, not so good. But you know, we've got one of the greatest training staffs in the world. Coach Saleh's big on us taking care of our bodies and stuff like that."
Many Jets have high praise for Stiggers — even players you'd think might not notice a rookie playing two levels behind them on the defense.
"He's amazing, man," D-lineman Quinnen Williams said about this newest "Q" on the roster. "You see the plays he's made, the confidence he has, the swagger he has, because he's an underdog, he knows he's an underdog, and he's got that underdog swagger. I'm not going to disrespect him but he has, like, walk-on swagger: 'C'mon, I know I belong here.' He's not scared to make plays, to talk. His story is an amazing story."
And head coach Robert Saleh paid the ultimate compliment for this time of year by foreseeing great things for the unheralded but unflappable DB.
"We're pleased with him, for sure," Saleh said. "We definitely got an NFL corner and now we're trying to figure out whether or not he's a starting NFL corner. He's just got great patience at the line of scrimmage. He's very smart, not book-smart but so instinctive, ahead of his years with regards to route recognition and understanding concepts.
"We think he's got a chance to be pretty damn good."
Stiggers, at 6-0 and 197 pounds, has shown all the tools as he works his way around the secondary and the depth chart. He has plastered wideouts at the line, run with them down the sideline for nifty pass breakups, and leaped high for some interceptions this offseason and summer.
And one of the neat sidebars about his amazing story is that even though he's from the South, y'all, and the CFL, eh, early on it was virtually foretold that he would be a New York area guy and wearing green and white.
"The crazy part about it is April 15, Coach TO [senior defensive assistant/cornerbacks Tony Oden] sent me a picture of me getting drafted by the Jets," he said. "And when was day three [April 28]? Just to be able to get that picture on the 15th and get drafted a couple of weeks later, it was meant to be, a fairy tale, sweetheart."
Stiggers' first pro camp will continue with joint practices and preseason games the next three Saturdays against the Commanders, the Panthers and the Giants.
"Right here, this is probably one of the best teams in the NFL," he said. "And we're building something special."
