StaTuesday: What to expect from Vikings rookie Treadwell

By foxsports
Published

Laquon Treadwell is set to start the season with the Minnesota Vikings' second stringers according to an unofficial depth chart released ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

However, don't expect him to stay there for long.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Treadwell's build is ideally suited for the sorts of jump balls that make up his college highlight reels.

Treadwell won't outrun many top-end NFL cornerbacks, but he has the skillset to go up and over them.

Treadwell's stats at Ole Miss

Year Class G Rec Yds TD
2013 Freshman 13 72 608 5
2014 Sophomore 9 48 632 5
2015 Junior 13 82 1153 11

But what can Vikings fans expect out of Treadwell in 2016?

It's somewhat uncharted territory for a team that isn't often willing to spend top picks on the position.

Since taking Randy Moss in 1998, the Vikings had drafted just three receivers in the first round: Cordarrelle Patterson (2013), Percy Harvin (2009) and Troy Williamson (2005).

Patterson and Harvin flashed early, while Williamson's career famously sputtered out after just two dismal seasons.

However, the Vikings haven't been afraid to feed a rookie the ball under head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

Charles Johnson hauled in 31 passes for 475 yards in 2014, but regressed in his sophomore season, logging just nine catches, while Stefon Diggs looked the part for a few weeks last year, averaging 105 receiving yards through his first four games and nabbing two touchdowns.

Stefon Diggs' rookie game logs

Opp Result Targets Rec Yds TD Catch%
at DEN L 20-23 10 6 87 0 60%
KAN W 16-10 9 7 129 0 77.8%
at DET W 28-19 9 6 108 1 66.7%
at CHI W 23-20 12 6 95 1 50%
STL W 21-18 5 3 42 0 60%
at OAK W 30-14 2 2 46 0 100%
GNB L 13-30 9 6 66 0 66.7%
at ATL W 20-10 4 4 31 0 100%
SEA L 7-38 6 2 22 0 33.3%
at ARI L 20-23 7 2 12 0 28.6%
CHI W 38-17 4 3 55 2 75%
NYG W 49-17 5 4 19 0 80%
at GNB W 20-13 2 1 8 0 50%

Diggs fizzled out after his explosive start, topping 50 receiving yards just twice in nine games the rest of the way.

And then there's Randy Moss.

Vikings rookie receiver rankings

Player Year G Rec Yds TD
Randy Moss 1998 16 69 1313 17
Percy Harvin 2009 15 60 790 6
Stefon Diggs 2015 13 52 720 4
Paul Flatley 1963 14 51 867 4
Sammy White 1976 14 51 906 10
Cordarrelle Patterson 2013 16 45 469 4
Anthony Carter 1985 16 43 821 8
Charles Johnson 2014 12 31 475 2
Sidney Rice 2007 13 31 396 4
Nate Burleson 2003 16 29 455 2

The 21st pick of the 1998 NFL Draft, Moss remains the only Vikings rookie to top 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, and one of just two to catch at least 10 touchdown passes.

Recently signed quarterback Sam Bradford isn't Randall Cunningham, and Treadwell isn't considered a threat to even approach Moss's first-year outburst, but cracking the top 10 looks like an attainable target for the big-bodied Illinois native.

Statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com