Qwan’tez Stiggers has been selected 176th overall in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
The Toronto Argonauts defensive back has taken an unconventional route to the NFL becoming one of the first CFL players to be drafted without attending college.
Stiggers was initially supposed to attend Lane College in 2020 but wasn’t able to play his freshman year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then his father, Rayves Harrison died after a car accident left him in a coma.
Eventually, he decided to play in the Fan Controlled League, a seven-man indoor football league that featured no kicking or special teams and let fans call plays after his mother signed him up.
The Argonauts offered Stiggers a rookie contract after being sent some footage of his play in the FCL. The 22-year-old played in 16 games for Toronto recording 53 tackles and five interceptions and was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie.
