Everson Griffen

Mike Zimmer explains why rookie Laquon Treadwell has played only two snaps

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:07 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

The Minnesota Vikings are off to a terrific start despite having to overcome major injuries to Teddy Bridgewater, Adrian Peterson and Matt Kalil. The defense has stepped up in a huge way, carrying the team to three wins, as has quarterback Sam Bradford with little time to prepare.

Surprisingly, the Vikings have done all of this without their first-round pick, Laquon Treadwell.

The rookie receiver has yet to record a single catch this season and has played a grand total of two snaps in three games. Things got even worse for Treadwell on Sunday when he was a healthy scratch, preventing him from even dressing for the game.

Mike Zimmer has been adamant that Treadwell simply isn’t ready to make an impact for the Vikings, and it starts with practice.

Treadwell came into the NFL with question marks about his game. The biggest, of course, was his lack of speed. However, his lack of playing time goes well beyond that. He’s not a polished route runner and has had a hard time adjusting to the NFL after a breakout 2015 season at Ole Miss.

At the very least, Treadwell could seemingly be a red zone threat with his ball skills and size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds). And without Peterson healthy, the Vikings could certainly use a big body to throw fades to on the goal line. Who knows when we’ll see Treadwell actually contribute, but this is concerning – particularly with him being a first-round pick.

Get more from Everson Griffen Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League