Diggs & Thielen Setting Pace & Examples for Young Receivers

[Viktor]

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen explained how he has seen Diggs grow on and off the field in recent years.


“I think he’s the type of leader who just goes out and shows it on the field,” Thielen said. “He’s the type of guy who’s not going to take reps off, he’s going to be going full-speed, every play. Even in walk-throughs, he’s going faster than everybody else because that’s just the type of guy he is.


“He’s a hard worker, he has a mindset to be great, he wants to be great, and he’s going to do the little things to get there. So I think when you have guys like that, they don’t need to be verbal,” Thielen added. “They don’t need to go and talk to the team, talk to the offense; they just lead by example, and hopefully the young guys are seeing what it takes to play in this league and play at a high level.”


But while Diggs is looked at as a leader of the wide receivers, he also has a clear partner in that role in Thielen.


Whether it’s in a drill on the field in practice, or speaking up to help a teammate in a meeting, young players know they can turn to the duo if needed.


“They’re people who lead by example,” Johnson said. “They know what they’re doing on the field and run their routes at 100 percent. Coaches definitely see that and they tell us rookies to look at the effort they’re giving on the field or when we watch the tape.”


Of the 11 wide receivers on Minnesota’s roster, Thielen is the veteran in the room. He’s 28 and entering his sixth season (not including 2013 when he was on the practice squad). Diggs, 25, has the second-most seniority and is entering his fifth season.


But the rest of the group is mostly young and inexperienced, as seven players are either rookies and are just coming off their first season in the NFL.


That group studies Thielen and Diggs on a daily basis. Just ask Chad Beebe, who is entering his second season in Purple.


Beebe began the 2018 season the practice squad but was added to the active roster midway through the season. He had four catches for 39 yards in three games, which was certainly invaluable experience.


But he said he also learned just by watching Thielen and Diggs in the locker room, in warm ups and during live action.


“I go back and think about the games last year that I was able to be a part of … watching those guys come out on game day, just completely different guys as far as confidence is something I want to mimic,” Beebe said. “I love that about them. Just to be able to watch them day-in and day-out and see what they do, I’d be crazy not to do the same.”