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Minnesota Vikings: Stefon Diggs to Replace Cordarrelle Patterson?

By Ben Ryan

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On April 25, 2009, the Minnesota Vikings selected Percy Harvin from the University of Florida with the 22nd pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. On April 25, 2013, the Vikings selected Cordarrelle Patterson from the University of Tennessee with the 29th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Now, on May 2, 2015, the Vikings selected Stefon Diggs from the University of Maryland with the 146th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

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So, three players all alike, two on the roster, and one gone. They all basically do the same thing, specialize in returns, and are quick, fast, dangerous players with the ball in their hands. Harvin didn’t really workout for the team. He had a fantastic first year with the Vikings, but then suffered from injuries the following year(s). With constant migraines, he began to be sort of a headache.

One receiver in the first round didn’t work out, so the Vikings tried out another one with Patterson. Patterson was your typical “boom or bust” player going into the draft. As of now, he’s leaning towards the bust side.

Patterson has done better returning than receiving so far. In his first year as the Vikings, he took 43 returns and totaled them for 1,393 yards; adding two touchdowns with that, one being a 109 kickoff return. That year, he was a 2013 pro-bowler and 2013 First-Team All-Pro.

Since then, Patterson hasn’t been the amazing receiver the Vikings moved up in the draft and hoped he would be. In the 2014 season, in 16 games, Patterson had one touchdown and 384 yards; a very poor season for Patterson. Once the Vikings realized that drafting a receiver in the first round wasn’t worth it, they waited things out and acquired Diggs. Almost the same receiver, four rounds later.

Diggs had better hands, and he can do the same thing with the ball as Patterson can. Patterson, however, might lose the job to the former Maryland stud. It’s not that Patterson won’t workout for the Vikings; Diggs could just possibly be better.

At Maryland, Diggs totaled for 1,472 kick return yards in three years, adding two touchdowns with those yards. As a receiver, he totaled for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years as well. Diggs normally plays slot position, and since he lacks the strength for the NFL, he’ll play there for the Vikings, too.

Diggs and Patterson both aren’t great route runners, but they don’t really need to be since all they have to do is cut across the middle to catch the football 75 percent of the time.

Diggs has great character, and he’s an extremely hard worker. He show’s it on the field, he’s electric. After suffering from a broken leg against Wake Forest in 2013, he worked his way back to being the top receiver for the Terps in 2014.

Also, Diggs managed to show his skill with an average quarterback, at best. With C.J. Brown at quarterback, the throws weren’t all there. In 2014, he completed 53.4 percent; which was 11th in the Big Ten conference. With Teddy Bridgewater throwing to Diggs, things will be much different.

The Vikings would absolutely love if Diggs turned out to be a star. Since they haven’t had a dominant receiver since Sidney Rice or Percy Harvin, maybe Diggs could be the new Harvin. That wouldn’t be a bad thing at all, right? Right.

Granted, nobody knows just yet how much Diggs will play as a rookie, but there’s a great chance that he’ll make an impact on special teams. Eventually, though, Diggs might take over the slot role. He’ll slowly make his way to being third on the depth chart. Giving Patterson a little push, maybe it’s what he needs to get going and be the star that he should’ve been.

The receiving core will definitely be interesting to watch in 2015. Keep an eye out for Diggs, he expected to go in the third, maybe fourth round. He’s going to make those that passed him up regret it. Diggs will make Patterson play better, and the rest of the team play harder while he makes sure he absolutely excels as a Minnesota Viking.

Next: Vikings Hit Jackpot in 2015 Draft

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