Former Vikings WR honored on 'Actual Underrated' team ahead of training camp
John Sigler of Saints Wire wanted to build the ultimate NFL All-Underrated Team ahead of the new season. He wanted to create a list of players who are often overlooked, and he did so with some great selections and throwback picks. He explains his selection process, stating, ". . .For this project we limited them to two benchmarks. For one thing, players must have logged at least 128 games in the NFL; that's equivalent to eight 16-game seasons (which was the norm until 2021), or one standard four-year rookie contract and another four-year extension. For the next point, qualifiers must have been selected for no more than two Pro Bowls in their careers. And for one more, we're trying to emphasize guys who weren't drafted early in the first round, but that's kind of a case-by-case basis."
One Vikings player made the cut for Sigler, and it was a hometown player who went from undrafted camp invite to All-Pro, Adam Thielen. Both Thielen and former Saints wide receiver Marques Colston made the first-team selection at wide receiver on this unique team.
Sigler writes, "Thielen is an NFL success story, too, having played college ball at Minnesota State and tried out for the Vikings as, essentially, a walk-on rookie free agent. He's 11 years into his career and still playing well."
In nine seasons with the Vikings, Thielen racked up 6,682 receiving yards on 534 catches while scoring 55 times. He did all this while not really finding his footing till his third year with the team either. Once again, it speaks to the work ethic of Thielen and his deserving placement on this list.
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