MINNEAPOLIS — When the Minnesota Vikings were on the clock with the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, it wasn't necessarily a lock that they'd go wide receiver.
While they just sent Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills a month earlier in a blockbuster trade, Minnesota still had playmakers in Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. The defense also had two major voids in the secondary after Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander — two of the team's top three cornerbacks — signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
But with the No. 22 pick — the pick the Vikings got from the Bills — Minnesota selected receiver Justin Jefferson out of LSU. From that moment on, Jefferson and Diggs would be forever linked.
On Sunday, the two receivers will go head-to-head — sort of — for the first time.
"He's a tremendous player," said Jefferson of Diggs. "I love him as a player and as a person. ... I respect his game and only want the best for him."
There's plenty to respect. Since being traded to Buffalo, Diggs has become one of the top receivers in the league. He's been named to two Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020.
"Make no mistake about it, Stefon's an elite receiver," said Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. "He's shown that here, he's shown that there. He's doing it again this year, and it doesn't surprise me in the least having played with him."
Diggs spent five seasons with the Vikings, racking up more than 700 receiving yards each season. He helped lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship in 2017 and was the receiver in one of the most memorable plays in franchise history — the Minneapolis Miracle.
In his two seasons playing with Cousins, Diggs had his first two 1,000-yard seasons, including a 102-catch campaign in 2018. After being traded to the Bills, he immediately caught 127 passes for 1,535 yards in his first season. He followed that up with 103 catches in 2021 for 1,225 and a career-best 10 touchdowns. This year, Diggs already has 60 catches for 857 yards and seven touchdowns.
"I think (the trade) is one that's worked out for everyone involved," said Cousins. "I think Stefon felt that he was wanting a different opportunity and his production in Buffalo would suggest that that's worked out very well for him. It was tough to lose him ... when you lose Stefon without the guarantee of replacing that, it's hard. But being able to get Justin has made it sting a little less with the way Justin's played."
Jefferson has more receiving yards than any other player since 2020 and is on pace to shatter the Vikings' franchise record for receiving yards in a season. His 867 yards this season is second only to Miami's Tyreek Hill, who has 1,104 yards..
"Definitely one of the best receivers in this league," Diggs said of Jefferson. "What he has done and accomplished in a short amount of time shows you that he's a special player."
As for the build-up to the week, Jefferson said he isn't focusing on anything other than getting another win.
"Just trying to win the game and be 8-1," Jefferson said. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Minnesota defeated the Washington Commanders for their sixth straight victory last week. Jefferson had seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, his first receiving touchdown since the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The Bills, however, are coming off a loss to the New York Jets, and could be playing without starting quarterback Josh Allen, who was limited in practice on Friday after not practicing all week. He's listed as "questionable" for Sunday. Should Allen not be able to play, the Bills will turn to Case Keenum, a name Vikings fans will remember as the quarterback in the Minneapolis Miracle.
"I wasn't really a (New Orleans) Saints fan, but I was going for the Saints," Jefferson, a Louisiana-native, laughed. "I remember being very, very upset that that happened. I mean, the whole season ended."
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