5 eye-popping statistics about Vikings WR Adam Thielen

What are some of the most impressive statistics about the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver?

The most interesting fact about the rise to stardom of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is not that he is from northern Minnesota, it’s not that he went to Minnesota State University, or that he went undrafted by 32 NFL teams.

The hallmark of Thielen’s oft-told tale of gridiron heroism is that he clawed his way up a depth chart from “that guy ain’t making it outta camp,” to “special teams guy,” to the No. 1 receiver on the Vikings depth chart.

If he never played another snap for Minnesota, he would still have the most yards from scrimmage of any undrafted Vikings player in the team’s 59-season history.

By the numbers, Thielen’s closest comparison from relatively recent history is Keyshawn Johnson. Thielen became a starter in 2016–which was the 33rd game of his career and he has since played in a total of 90 matchups. If one aligns those 57 games to that of Johnson at the same juncture of his career, the numbers are as follows:

Thielen:

• 303 receptions
• 4,034 receiving yards
• 24 touchdowns

Johnson:

• 321 receptions
• 4,045 receiving yards
• 24 touchdowns

More recently, former teammates, Stefon Diggs and Thielen are essentially statistical clones. Fans tend to think Diggs is a more pronounced deep threat and this was true for the 2019 season. But Thielen missed nearly half of the year due to injury.

Since 2016, Thielen has 61 receptions of 20 yards or more compared to  Diggs who has 57. So, the eye-test is deceiving in this regard.

The table has been set, so here are five statistics about Thielen that you may not know.