With starter Charles Johnson injured, Sunday’s game at Denver gave 2013 Vikings first-rounder Cordarrelle Patterson a chance to step up. Instead, 2015 fifth-rounder Stefon Diggs had his coming-out party.
After the game, which included six catches for 87 yards from Diggs, veteran Mike Wallace praised the rookie.
“He could be better than me,” Wallace said, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He’s young. When I came in [with Pittsburgh in 2009], I was playing well as a young guy, but I had one assignment: Beat them deep. Diggs is already running the full route treatment from Day One.”
Diggs also reminded Wallace of a former Steelers teammate who is one of the best receivers in all of football.
“When I first got here, he reminded me of Antonio [Brown],” Wallace said. “I still stand by that, how quick he is and his motor and the routes he runs and just the way he prepares himself, man. He’s got so much energy and I love that. He can’t sit down. He’s always going full speed.”
Meanwhile, Patterson (who unexpectedly got the start on Sunday) had one catch for nine yards. Which means that Patterson will soon be heading full speed for the exit, while Diggs and Johnson become the guys around which the passing game is built.