Stefon Diggs trade shows how terrible Bill O’Brien did

The Buffalo Bills traded four draft picks to acquire Stefon Diggs, providing another reminder of how badly Bill O’Brien did for the Houston Texans.

Day one of the NFL’s free agency period has been wild, with two of the bigger moves on the day actually involving trades for wide receivers.

The Buffalo Bills became the latest to make a big play for a top-flight wideout, dealing four draft choices (including a first-rounder this season) to land Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings.

Diggs is a solid receiver who is only 26 years old. He caught 63 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. Adding a guy like that makes sense for a Bills’ team sensing an opening at the top of the AFC East, but the deal also reinforces how poorly the Houston Texans did with their return for DeAndre Hopkins.

Bill O’Brien, who is the coach and GM of the Texans, dealt away the best receiver in football (along with a fourth-round draft pick) for David Johnson and a second-round pick. The name value of Johnson is worth more than his production as his game has fallen off a cliff the past two seasons, lowlighted by an injury-plagued 2019 that saw Johnson lose his job to Kenyan Drake.

Hopkins, on the other hand, has been the most productive receiver in the NFL for years now. Last season with the Texans was another good one for Hopkins, who caught 104 passes for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. Over the course of his career, Hopkins has at least five 1,000 yard seasons, three seasons with double-digit touchdowns, and three seasons with at least 100 receptions.

If Diggs merits four draft picks, including a first-rounder, then the Texans should have gotten a lot more in return for Hopkins. O’Brien should be ashamed for selling off his most valuable offensive weapon not named Deshaun Watson for pennies on the dollar.