5 notable players the Vikings could have drafted the past five years
By Ben Donahue
Player No. 3
Trevon Diggs - CB (Dallas Cowboys)
Bravo to the Vikings for nailing the Justin Jefferson pick in 2020. It would be foolish to think the organization could have done any better with their 22nd overall selection, as Jefferson is easily one of the best receivers in the NFL. However, the team whiffed badly with cornerback Jeff Gladney.
Minnesota was coming off a 2019 season where the team improved to eighth on offense and fifth on defense. The Vikes were wise to think of needs on both sides of the ball for their multiple first-round selections in 2010. After a 10-6 finish in 2019 and a loss to San Francisco in the Divisional round, it was reasonable to assume that Minnesota needed a few more key pieces.
Jefferson was primarily selected because Stefon Diggs had just left for Buffalo, and the Vikes had a huge hole to fill. Gladney is a good player and started 15 games in 2020. However, after his arrest in 2021 for domestic violence, the franchise had to release him.
Instead of Gladney, the Vikings should have taken a longer look at Stefon’s younger brother, Trevon, who was taken by Dallas in the second round. Trevon Diggs was an All-American and an All-SEC player for Nick Saban at Alabama, and he was graded by scouts as an eventual “plus starter.”
He’s been that and then some. In his three seasons, Diggs has missed only a few starts for the Cowboys. During the 2021 season alone, he led the NFL with 11 interceptions, 142 return yards, and two pick-sixes.
The two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro has totals of 17 interceptions, two touchdowns, 49 passes defended, and 169 total tackles.