5 Questions About Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs With Terrapin Station

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the 5th round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the reaction on social media was very mixed. Some fans felt that the team should have invested a much higher draft pick on getting a weapon for young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater that would be an immediate starter. They were looking at players like DeVante Parker, Amari Cooper and Kevin White. Instead, the Vikings drafted Diggs.

Sep 6, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) returns a kick during the half against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

In a draft class with those big, talented players, somehow Stefon Diggs slipped into the cracks. He didn’t have the pre-draft hype that the top prospects had, but Diggs can offer some of the big play ability at a much lower cost than those other players. Diggs was projected to be around a late third to early 4th round selection, but ended up not being drafted until the 5th round by the Vikings.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Chris Bengel at Terrapin Station (the FanSided site for Maryland sports) and asked him five questions about Stefon Diggs that fans of the Minnesota Vikings might want to know about their team’s new pass catcher. Here are his answers to those questions:

What is the greatest asset that Stefon Diggs brings to the Minnesota Vikings?

"“His big-play ability is definitely his biggest asset. Once Diggs gets the ball in his hands, there’s few wideouts that can do some of the things that he can. In the open field, he’s very elusive and can make any player look silly trying to tackling him. Diggs is the type of player that opposing team definitely need to have a safety helping the cornerback over the top. While he doesn’t possess elite speed, he still has the ability to blow by most defensive backs. In his three years at Maryland, Diggs had a touchdown catch of 66 yards or more in each season.”"

Are there any reasons why Vikings fans should be concerned about this pick?

"“None whatsoever. If not for durability concerns, Diggs definitely could’ve went in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Even with those concerns, the former Good Counsel (Md.) star had a third/fourth round grade. In the fifth round, Diggs is a great value pick. The Vikings are getting one of the best wideouts that the Big Ten had to offer.”"

What is your overall impression of Diggs as a college football player?

"“Diggs will go down as one of the best players in Maryland’s history. This is the type of player that can line up anywhere on the field. He’s the type of player that opposing defenses have to account for on every play. As I said, once Diggs is in the open field, he really has a knack for finding the end zone. He is going to have to find a way to stay healthy as he missed multiple games in all of his three seasons with the Terrapins.”"

How do you feel Stefon Diggs will transition to the NFL?

"“Diggs should contribute immediately on special teams. While in college, he ran three kickoffs back for touchdowns, once again proving how dangerous he can be in space. If Diggs were to assume the kickoff duties, that may take some of the pressure off fellow wideout Cordarrelle Patterson and allow the Tennessee product to focus on offense as this could be a huge season in his development. As far as his career, Diggs definitely could be a very productive slot receiver. The former Terp probably doesn’t have the strength to make it as an outside receiver, but could be a weapon for Norv Turner’s offense. Diggs can line up anywhere on the field and will be an after-the-catch machine.”"

Do you have any final impressions on Diggs that you’d like to tell Vikings fans about?

"“More than just his on-the-field talents, the Vikings are getting a great young man. Before his college days, Diggs was a five-star recruit in the Maryland area and could’ve gone to any school in the country. However, he chose to stay close to home and began a “Stay Home Movement” locally as many recruits have followed in his footsteps. Diggs is an incredibly hard worker that is motivated to be the best he can be. The Vikings are getting a phenomenal football player that can really do some damage at the NFL level.”"

The impression that I get about Stefon Diggs from this article is that the Vikings have another player that can do multiple things for the team. We already know that he can be a dangerous return man and is good at making other players miss tackles, but his drafting (coupled with the drafting of Trae Waynes at #11 overall) could spell the end of Marcus Sherels as the return man and put his roster spot in jeopardy.

But the Vikings have definitely began a tradition of drafting athletic players and then finding roles for them based on their skill set. That’s a wild change to the Minnesota team of years ago that drafted players to fit positions or trying to play guys out of position just because they need to fill a hole there. Diggs should be able to make an impact initially on special teams for the Vikings and then grow and develop into an NFL wide receiver.

I’d like to thank Chris Bengel at Terrapin Station for taking the time to answer these questions for The Viking Age. For another interesting read, be sure to check out his article on how Stefon Diggs fits in with the Vikings as well as the other great content over on Terrapin Station.

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