Receivers Taken Before Stefon Diggs

The long list of quarterbacks selected before Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft was considered laughable by 2002. This will never get similar attention but the 19 receivers taken before Stefon Diggs in the 2015 NFL Draft is looking kinda silly after nearly five seasons.

1. (4) Oakland Raiders-Amari Cooper, Alabama
1. (7) Chicago Bears-Kevin White, West Virginia
1. (14) Miami Dolphins-DeVante Parker, Louisville
1. (20) Philadelphia Eagles-Nelson Agholor, USC
1. (26) Baltimore Ravens-Breshad Perriman, UCF
1. (29) Indianapolis Colts-Phillip Dorsett, Miami
2. (37) New York Jets-Devin Smith, Ohio State
2. (40) Tennessee Titans-Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
2. (41) Carolina Panthers-Devin Funchess, Michigan
3. (69) Seattle Seahawks-Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
3. (70) Houston Texans-Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
3. (76) Kansas City Chiefs-Chris Conley, Georgia
3. (87) Pittsburgh Steelers-Sammie Coates, Auburn
3. (94) Green Bay Packers-Ty Montgomery, Stanford
4. (105) Washington Redskins-Jamison Crowder, Duke
4. (107) Atlanta Falcons-Justin Hardy, East Carolina
4. (123) Cleveland Browns-Vince Mayle, Washington State
4. (132) San Francisco 49ers-DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech
5. (139) Jacksonville Jaguars-Rashad Greene, Florida State
5. (146) Minnesota Vikings-Stefon Diggs, Maryland


Six receivers were taken in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Amari Cooper is on his second team but doing quite well. Kevin White isn't on a team. DeVante Parker has emerged a bit this season but really hasn't produced as the Dolphins expected. Nelson Agholor has managed a modest career with the Eagles. With 28 receptions through 13 games, Phillip Dorsett is having a career year with the Patriots.

Of the 19 receivers selected before Stefon Diggs, only DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and Justin Hardy are with the team that drafted them. Kevin White, Dorial Green-Beckham, Jaelen Strong, Vince Mayle, DeAndre Smelter, and Rashad Greene aren't on a team. Ty Montgomery is a running back for the Jets. Sammie Coates plays for Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.

Of the 19 teams that selected receivers before the Vikings selected Diggs, only Seattle might say that they are happy with their selection. The Falcons are probably content with Justin Hardy, a fourth round pick that contributes to his offense.

Diggs' pass catching numbers:

2015 (13 games)
52 catches
720 yards
13.8 yards/catch
4 TDs

2016 (13 games)
84 catches
903 yards
10.8 yards/catch
3 TDs

2017 (14 games)
64 catches
849 yards
13.3 yards/catch
8 TDs

2018 (15 games)
102 catches
1021 yards
10.0 yards/catch
9 TDs

2019 (13 games)
56 catches
997 yards
17.8 yards/catch
5 TDs

Amari Cooper is Diggs' only receiving rival from the 2015 NFL Draft. Here are the stats for Cooper, the fourth pick of that draft.

2015 (16 games)
72 catches
1070 yards
6 TDs
14.9 yards/catch

2016 (16 games)
83 catches
1153 yards
5 TDs
13.9 yards/catch

2017 (14 games)
48 catches
680 yards
7 TDs
14.2 yards/catch

2018 (15 games: Raiders (6) Cowboys (9))
75 catches
1005 yards
7 TDs
13.4 yards/catch

2019 (13 games)
70 catches
1054 yards
8 TDs
15.1 yards/catch

Through nearly five seasons the one real knock to Cooper's career is the 2017 season. That season, it looked like he quit on the Raiders team that selected him with the fourth pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. His apathetic play appeared to continue into the 2018 season. I once saw him drop three consecutive passes in the end zone. His year-plus of questionable effort and likely contract demands led to a midseason trade to the Cowboys. There's no doubt that a happy Amari Cooper is one of the most dangerous receivers in the game but his play from 2017 and into 2018 will forever give me pause.

Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs are two of the best receivers in the league. One was selected with the fourth pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. The other was selected with the 146th pick of that draft. Other than Tyler Lockett, the 17 receivers selected between those two have had a barely modest or no career at all.