Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) tackles Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) after his reception in the second quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
I’ve liked Minnesota receiver Stefon Diggs every since he was at the University of Maryland. But since he doesn’t have traits similar to Calvin Johnson or big-time production in college, he fell to Round 5. The production wasn’t there because as the No. 1 recruit out of high school, he chose to stay home instead of going to a place with a great quarterback.
But since not getting to the NFL the best way he could have, he is starting to do something now that he’s there. He worked his way into some playing time against the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and had six catches for 87 yards on nine targets. On a couple of them he completely abused elite corner Aquib Talib to get the attention of his staff.
That led to the rookie wideout making his first career start on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Diggs was a huge factor in that 16-10 victory with seven catches for 129 yards on nine targets. And this has led to veteran receiver Mike Wallace, Diggs’ teammate, to compare Diggs to his former teammate, Antonio Brown.
Brown was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, having a not-so-big impact his rookie year. But he came on strong in his second season with 1,108 receiving yards and has killed it in the NFL since. But it’s Diggs’ skill set, not his his similar path to the NFL that reminds Wallace of Brown.
Wallace told Matt Vensel of The Star Tribune, “You can tell from Day One who can play football or not. They have some exceptions where guys get better drastically over time. But for the most part, you can tell from Day One, can he play or can he not play? And I always felt like Diggs could from day one. Just the skill set, the way he runs his routes, the energy that he has. It reminds me of (Brown).”
A flattered but unsatisfied Diggs responded with, “You want to say ‘thank you’ … but the work has yet to be done. There’s a lot more plays to be made out there before I get to that point. I believe everyone is different. Antonio Brown, excuse my language, is a hell of an athlete and a hell of a receiver, and I have yet to work to that point. I’m just trying to earn my stripes.”
If quarterback Teddy Bridgewater builds off of his strong rookie year and Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson, this offense could be limitless.