Is Stefon Diggs this year’s Odell Beckham?

by | Oct 26, 2015

Stefon Diggs has come out of nowhere and become one of the hottest receivers in the NFL.

Just like Odell Beckham Jr. last season.

Kind of.

There are plenty of parallels between the rookie-year trajectories of Diggs and Beckham. But there also are a few differences.

Beckham missed the first four games of his rookie season with a hamstring injury. Then he caught 91 passes, 12 for touchdowns, in 12 games. He didn’t really come out of nowhere, however. He was drafted 12th overall out of LSU. Even when he sat out, it was hard to find anyone who hadn’t heard of Beckham.

Diggs, on the other hand, really did come out of nowhere. The Vikings drafted him in the fifth round out of Maryland. He was inactive for the first three games, then Charles Johnson’s injury opened a spot for him in Week 4. It wouldn’t have been surprising to hear someone ask “Who?” the first time the ball was thrown Diggs’ way this season.

Everyone knows who Diggs is now, especially since he has a signature catch just like Beckham.

 

It’s not quite as eye-popping as Beckham’s catch for the ages in Week 12 against the Cowboys last season.

However, Diggs’ catch was more functional. The 36-yard touchdown grab gave the Vikings a 22-17 lead Sunday over the Lions in the third quarter at Detroit, and the Vikings went on to win 28-19 and improve to 4-2.

Beckham’s catch will be remembered long after Diggs’ catch, but what won’t be remembered is that the Giants lost that game and that Beckham’s rise was a beacon in a 6-10 season.

Diggs, on the other hand, could help get the Vikings into the playoffs. The Vikings would be the No. 6 seed in the NFC if the playoffs started now.

After three games, Diggs is off to a better start than Beckham. He’s caught 19 passes while Beckham caught 11, although Beckham had three touchdowns to Diggs’ one. Beckham went on to have breakout games later in his rookie season, starting with that game against the Cowboys in which he caught 10 passes. He had double-digit receptions in four of his last six games. His 91 catches in 12 games played is second only to Lionel Taylor, who caught 92 passes in 12 games for the Denver Broncos of the AFL in 1960.

It would be asking a lot for Diggs to reach those historic heights. However, he’s been targeted nine times in all three games he’s played, going from one target less than Mike Wallace, to sharing the team lead with Wallace to being the team’s most targeted receiver on Sunday. He’s catching passes at a pace that would make him the NFL’s top rookie receiver. Amari Cooper leads NFL rookies with 33 receptions, but he’s done that in seven games.

Diggs might not attain Beckham’s fame as a rookie because he’s not playing near the bright lights of New York.

But the bright lights of the playoffs might shine on him.