Sunday was a big day for rookie Stefon Diggs who continues to rise to the top with just three games under his belt in the NFL. The wide receiver was unknown to the league after being a fifth-round draft pick, but now he is looking like the real-deal future for the Minnesota Vikings after a big Week 7 performance that could force some shifting on the depth chart in later weeks.
After getting the nod in the starting lineup, Diggs thanked the Vikings by putting 108 yards and a touchdown off six catches. The receiver put on a show, smoking the Lions' secondary with his speed and athleticism. He is quickly proving to be Teddy Bridgewater's new favorite and as a rookie he is preparing to take over the team. With all of the hype surrounding Diggs, offensive coordinator Norv Turner is trying to hit the brakes and keep the receiver grounded for the time being.
"Diggs has been impressive since he got here," Turner said, via ESPN 1500. "I'm going to slow that down, he's got a lot of work to do. We went in and played a man [coverage] team and put in a couple routes they'd never seen us run and he did a good job running them. I think he caught four balls in the first quarter. He's going to be a real good player. He just has a lot of work to do. The good thing about him is, he understands that. And that's the way he approaches it and he comes in here every day with a mindset he's going to get better."
The rise of Diggs means the disappearance of Cordarrelle Patterson. The wide receiver has been a healthy scratch for the last few weeks despite the wide receiver injuries in Minnesota. With Diggs showing he can be both a receiver and return man for Minnesota, the Vikings truly have no need for Patterson. However, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Vikings would not get any interest in a trade of the receiver. His lack of playing time and production will draw no interest towards him considering players like Hakeem Nicks and Reggie Wayne remain available.
Patterson will not see 2016 with the Vikings. The wide receiver could easily be a healthy scratch for the season with players like Jarius Wright, Charles Johnson and Adam Thielen rising to the top. The Vikings simply need to move forward from Patterson. If a trade is not an option, then having him sit out until the end of the season will be the best thing if Minnesota wants to keep winning.
