FRISCO, Texas— Fan Controlled Football (FCF) lasted just two seasons, 2021 and 2022. It was one of many upstart spring football leagues that has recently tried to create competition for the NFL — or at least draft off its success. The league was played indoors, 7-on-7, and all games were streamed on Twitch. The league’s main gimmick was that fans who watched could vote on what plays would be called.
FCF recruited 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel to be the face of the league, and he was part of a hodgepodge of players with college and NFL experience on each franchise.
In 2022, the second year of the league, the Beasts (one of the league’s franchises) signed cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers (5113, 203), who had no college experience. At just 20 years old, he instantly became the youngest player in the league.
I got the chance to sit down with him at the Shrine Bowl and ask him about his experience of having plays called for him by people sitting on the couch at home.
“Football is football,” Stiggers told me. “No matter if you’re calling plays or aren’t calling plays, as long as you do your homework on, ‘Oh, this team has this amount of weapons and this team has this amount of weapons.’”
Stiggers had an incredible year playing FCF, recording a league-leading five interceptions in just 12 games and even generating some MVP buzz. His play impressed many, including one of the coaches in the league, John Jenkins.
Jenkins was a former offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts, a member of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He suggested Stiggers try out for the Argonauts in 2023.
Despite his success at his previous stop, Stiggers was far from a lock to make the roster in Toronto when he arrived for rookie camp.
“I’m showing up to camp, probably the only one without college experience.” Stiggers recalled. “You got, big-name guys that came from Florida State, Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee. So just showing up with no college experience and thinking, ‘You’re not gonna be the first one cut?’ In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘What separates me from these guys?’ But on Day Two of camp, I showed what separated me from these guys because of the stuff I put on film.”
It didn’t take long for Stiggers to answer any questions about whether he should be on the team, and he quickly became a starter for the Argonauts. Again, Stiggers found himself in a league where he was one of the youngest players and had limited experience compared to his peers.
But that didn’t stop him. Despite the CFL being such a pass-heavy league with its wider field, Stiggers was able to make an instant impact. He again recorded five interceptions as well as 53 tackles. And the accolades began coming too as he was named CFL Rookie of the Year as well as an All-Star.
The most recent of these accolades was being invited to the Shrine Bowl where he has been the first former professional player to participate in the event over its 99 years.
For Stiggers, this week has served as a great chance to prove that he can hang with the best college football has to offer, and he’s the only one who didn’t have any tape against them going into the Shrine Bowl.
“You’re coming to a place where most of these guys know each other or played against each other,” Stiggers noted of the Shrine Bowl. “When you’re coming from a professional league, you barely know these guys.”
Stiggers quickly proved again that a lack of college experience does not equate to a lack of talent. He was one of the best defensive backs that I got to watch at practice this week.
The biggest thing I noticed is that Stiggers is strong to the ball. He’s a bit of a stockier than most corners, but he’s also remarkably sticky in coverage for someone with his build.
Check out some reps of him here where he uses both his agility and his frame to break up passes.
Very few times in NFL history has someone been drafted with no college experience. It’s even rarer for a guy who plays a skill position like Stiggers.
The Steelers are certainly in the market for a cornerback in this year’s draft, and I like the different look that Stiggers could provide opposite from the lankier, rangier Joey Porter Jr. Stiggers told me that former front office member Dave Petett talked with his agent during Stiggers’ time in the CFL. It was recently announced Petett left the Steelers.
Another thing that stuck out to me about Stiggers is how quickly he took to the smaller field at the Shrine Bowl compared to what he’s used to in the CFL. The fact that he can adjust with that effectiveness when he’s never really been coached to play NFL-style football is impressive. I think the Steelers’ coaching staff could do wonders for him.
“I can ball,” Stiggers responded when asked one thing he wants NFL teams to know about him. “Just ’cause it’s, it’s a good story [doesn’t mean I can’t] back it up.”
While he remains a relative unknown, I’d love for the Steelers to take a swing on an upside guy like this on Day Three of the draft. Say what you want about Stiggers, but there’s no denying he’s adaptable, arguably the most important trait at the NFL level.
