6 biggest Vikings draft steals during the Mike Zimmer era
By Adam Patrick
1. Stefon Diggs – WR
Drafted: Fifth Round (2015)
Before he began his college career at the University of Maryland, Stefon Diggs was one of the highest recruited high-school wide receivers in the entire country. Diggs had offers from Florida, Ohio State, and Auburn, but he ended up staying close to home and attending Maryland.
Unfortunately, some injuries didn’t allow his college career to be as productive as he would’ve liked. It resulted in him slipping to Day 3 of the 2015 NFL Draft where the Vikings ended up picking him in the fifth round.
With no one selecting him until the final day of the 2015 draft, Diggs used his doubters as motivation once he entered the league. It resulted in Minnesota landing one of their best receivers in team history.
Even though he is no longer a member of the Vikings after a trade sent him to the Buffalo Bills last year, Diggs’ production during his five seasons is some of the best the franchise has seen from a wide receiver this century.
Since 2000, Diggs accumulated the third-most receiving yards, the fourth-most catches, and the fourth-most receiving touchdowns of any player that suited up for Minnesota during this time period.
The Vikings probably thought they were using a fifth-round pick in 2015 on someone who could potentially develop into a talented third or fourth receiver. Instead, Diggs decided to greatly exceed his expectations and help Minnesota reach the playoffs in three of his five seasons with the team.