Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into his first season in New England.
The New England Patriots entered their first offseason under head coach Mike Vrabel with two big goals in mind. Besides wanting to improve the culture in the room after what was a challenging season in that respect, the club also aimed at improving the supporting cast around starting quarterback Drake Maye.
A significant portion of the team’s offseason acquisitions, whether through free agency or the draft, fall into both those categories. One of the highest-profile of those is veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who joined the team on a three-year free agency deal after previous stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.
Name: Stefon Diggs
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 8
Opening day age: 31 (11/29/1993)
Measurements: 6’1”, 191 lbs, 31 1/4” arm length, 10” hand size, 4.46s 40-yard dash, 7.03s 3-cone drill, 4.32s short shuttle, 35” vertical jump, 9’7” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 5.66 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: Minnesota Vikings (2015-19), Buffalo Bills (2020-23), Houston Texans (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Maryland (2012-14)
A standout receiver at Good Counsel in Olney, MD, Diggs was one of the top high school prospects in the nation. The consensus five-star recruit received scholarship offers from several of the top colleges in the country, but despite heavy interest decided to stay home and attend the University of Maryland.
Diggs had a productive three-year stint with the Terrapins, catching 150 passes for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns in 28 games and being named second-team All-SEC as a junior in 2014. However, the hype he originally carried into college had died down a bit coming out of it: deciding to skip his senior campaign in College Park, he had to wait until the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft to hear his name called.
The Vikings picked him up with the 146th overall pick, but despite his lack of draft pedigree gave him a prominent role in their offense from early in his rookie season on. He never looked back, and over five years in Minnesota caught a total of 387 regular season and playoff passes for 4,932 yards and 32 touchdowns — including one of the most spectacular scores in recent postseason history, a buzzer-beater against New Orleans in the 2017 divisional round.
While Diggs already was a star as a Viking, he took his game to a new level after getting traded to Buffalo during the 2020 offseason. Teaming up with quarterback Josh Allen, he caught 492 passes for 5,972 yards and 39 touchdowns in 75 combined games en route to being voted to two All-Pro teams and four straight Pro Bowls.
Coming off four straight 100-yard seasons, Diggs was traded a second time. In April 2024, the Bills sent him to Houston where he played the most recent eight games on what is one of the most impressive résumés of any wide receiver in the NFL...
