Reasons for picking Stefon Diggs- Being the player who was responsible for the Minneapolis Miracle alone would likely be enough to put Diggs among the best draft steals in Vikings history, but his ability to overcome injuries and a lack of dominant stats in college to become a star is what gives him Diggs this title. As a freshman at Maryland, he looked like a future first-round draft pick, finishing second in Maryland history, along with second in the ACC (Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014), with 1,896 all-purpose yards and leading the team in receptions (54), receiving yards (848) and receiving touchdowns (6). Diggs would also get off to a hot start as a sophomore in 2013, but saw his season end in mid-October after suffering a broken right fibula. He returned in 2014 and finished Second-Team All-Big Ten and ranking second in the Big Ten in catches per game (6.2) and fourth in receiving yards per game (79.2), while leading Maryland in receptions (52), receiving yards (654) and receiving touchdowns (5). However, Diggs would still miss 3 games due to a lacerated kidney and a suspension for refusing to shake hands with Penn State when serving as a captain. After his junior season, Diggs chose to declare for the NFL Draft, but faced skepticism from teams due to his multiple injuries and 6’0, 195 pound frame. He would end up falling to the 5th round of the 2015 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings.
As a late-round receiver, Diggs had initially been expected to compete for a returner job, and he would impress coaches in his first training camp with his work ethic. Though he was inactive for the first 3 games of the regular season, Diggs got an opportunity to start after an injury to teammate Charles Johnson and would make his NFL debut by leading all Vikings receivers with 6 catches for 87 yards in a 23-20 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. He would put up over 100 receiving yards in each of his next 2 games, and became the first rookie in NFL history to record over 85 receiving yards in each of his first 4 games. Diggs’s rookie season ended with him leading the Vikings in receptions (52) and receiving yards (720), while being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. 2016 saw Diggs improve on his numbers, post the 5th-best catch rate (75%) in the NFL and set a Vikings November record with 13 catches against the Lions that month, all while pairing up with former undrafted WR Adam Thielen to become the first Vikings WR duo to each post over 900 yards since Randy Moss and Cris Carter. 2017 saw Diggs miss some time with a groin injury, but he was healthy for the playoffs and etched himself into Vikings lore by orchestrating the greatest single play in Vikings history: The Minneapolis Miracle. Just before the 2018 season, Diggs would sign a 5-year, $81 million contract extension with over $40 million in guaranteed money and responded by putting up his first 1,000-yard season. He would again set a career-high with 1,130 receiving yards and 75.3 yards per game, but continued to have conflicts with Vikings coaches over his use in the offense. After the season, he was traded to the Buffalo Bills and took full advantage of his status as the Bills #1 receiver, finishing First-team All-Pro and leading the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535)
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