The Treadwell-Diggs Hypothesis: 2020
The Treadwell-Diggs Hypothesis is “research” I initially did as a joke and posted on Reddit before the start of the 2020 season.
I was inspired to create the Treadwell-Diggs Hypothesis because of my (unfortunate) Vikings fandom. The inspiration for the hypothesis obviously came from Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell. Any time I was scrolling through social media I would see posts of Diggs working out in the gym. I literally don’t think he does anything other than train, eat, and sleep. Meanwhile, 1st-Round bust, Treadwell, was frequently posting pictures of himself in front of cars, out to eat, shopping, and playing video games.
What is the Treadwell-Diggs Hypothesis?
So what exactly is the Treadwell-Diggs Hypothesis? Essentially, I wanted to see if there is any sort of relationship between a player’s work ethic and how they perform on the field. Continue reading to see what I came up with.
The Process
I tracked the 2022 rookie class by taking the top 5 QBs, 24 RBs, 24 WRs, and 10 TEs. I checked their IG story and posts daily for 3 months to see if they made a post about working out.
If they worked out that day, they got a point. If they didn’t, no point.
“But what if they work out all the time and just aren’t active on social media?!?”
This “research” is satire.
“This is dumb, no way this shows us anything of value.”
Oh yeah, then tell me how I predicted Justin Jefferson becoming a future HOFer?
The Results
RBs:
- Zack Moss (11)
- AJ Dillon (10)
- Anthony McFarland (10)
- D’Andre Swift (9)
- Lynn Bowden (9)
- Antonio Gibson (5)
- JK Dobbins (4)
- Ke’Shawn Vaughn (3)
- Cam Akers (2)
- Darrynton Evans (2)
- Jonathan Taylor (1)
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire (1)
WRs:
- Justin Jefferson (22)
- Isaiah Hodgins (20)
- Jerry Jeudy (19)
- James Proche (18)
- Laviska Shenault (17)
- Bryan Edwards (12)
- KJ Osborn (11)
- Jalen Reagor (10)
- Collin Johnson (10)
- CeeDee Lamb (9)
- KJ Hamler (9)
- Michael Pittman Jr. (7)
- Henry Ruggs III (7)
- Chase Claypool (7)
- Quintez Cephus (7)
- Brandon Aiyuk (5)
- Tee Higgins (5)
- Antonio Gandy-Golden (4)
- Quez Watkins (4)
- Denzel Mims (1)
- Van Jefferson (1)
- Tyler Johnson (1)
- Joe Reed (1)
- Devin Duvernay (0)
Conclusion
I would say the main takeaway from this study would be that if any rookie hits 22 workouts in a 2 month period, they will be a future HOF caliber player and I would not hesitate to take them 1.01 in startup drafts.
