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NFL Power Rankings: Top 10 wide receivers in today’s game

By Nicholas McGee

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 16, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 16, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 05: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the field after his defeated the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 05, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 05: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Minnesota Vikings stands on the field after his defeated the New Orleans Saints during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 05, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Scouting Report. WR. Buffalo Bills. player. Pick Analysis. Stefon Diggs. 8. 16

He may have been something of a locker room headache but the trade of Diggs to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round pick is something the Minnesota Vikings will likely come to regret, with rookie Justin Jefferson ill-equipped to fill the void left by one of the premier deep-ball receivers in the NFL.

Diggs is coming off arguably his best season since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick in 2015. Having caught 102 balls for 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018, Diggs hauled in only 63 receptions last year but for a career-high 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. Per NextGen Stats, Diggs accounted for 41.27 percent of the Vikings’ Air Yards last year.

As a route-runner, Diggs can win with his footwork and with his physicality. He tracks the ball magnificently and shows the ability to adjust to it in the air. Not known for his speed, Diggs possesses underrated acceleration in the open field and it is the combination of these attributes that allowed him to average a career-high 17.9 yards per reception in 2019.

Diggs was 10th in DYAR and seventh in DVOA last season. Some will expect him to take a step back playing with a quarterback with accuracy issues like those of Bills starter Josh Allen, however, the marriage between Diggs and the cannon-armed Allen has the potential for significant success given his talents as a downfield weapon.

If Diggs can take a Bills offense too often hamstrung by Allen to the next level, it will further cement his place as one of the league’s premier pass-catchers.

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