as a remarkable bargain for the Vikings. Thielen leads the NFL with 58 catches, which puts him on pace to break Marvin Harrison's single-season record of 143. He also leads with 712 yards, five more than Julio Jones and 55 clear of third-place DeAndre Hopkins. Thielen has recorded at least 100 yards in all six Vikings games, the longest streak to begin a season since 1961.

"It's exciting and emotional at the same time," Peter Thielen, Adam's father, said. "Sometimes, you get emotional, you're just excited and happy for him and everything else."

As evaluators missed him for a decade, Thielen forged ahead with daily improvement and quiet, unwavering belief. Back home during college, Thielen was out with friends in Detroit Lakes when he ran into a linebacker from NorthDakota who was bragging about an upcoming pro day, how he was headed to the NFL. When Thielen replied he'd play in the NFL someday, too, "the guy literally laughed at him," Herzog said. Nobody is laughing anymore.

"The seriousness of how Adam has been taken through a lot of his career, the credibility, I think it's been a big motivator for him," said Todd Hoffner, Thielen's first coach at Minnesota State. "I think a driving force has just been his providing proof that he belongs, and he can be one of the best players in the NFL."

Now that Thielen stands at the highest echelon of his sport, there are two obvious questions. How could one of the most talented players in the NFL have been so overlooked? And