The looming commencement of the NFL season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 will come at a certain cost. Several of the late-round draft picks and undrafted players won't be given the chance to showcase their wares in front of teams because of the absence of preseason games along with the training camp capacity trimmed down to 80 players. There is no better person to ask about the matter than former division II player and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.

The 7-year veteran bared his sentiments to the Pioneer Press:

“I know that if I was going through this offseason as a rookie, I wouldn’t be in the NFL,” he said.

Adam Thielen had humble beginnings as he played his collegiate career in little-known Minnesota State Mankato University from 2009-2012. He tried his luck and participated in a tryout for the Minnesota Vikings after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. He balled out and landed an undrafted free-agent contract with the team. After going through several up-and-down years with the Vikings, he is now the starting wide receiver for the team.

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Thielen went on to amass 4,315 receiving yards, 323 receptions, and 25 receiving touchdowns in his career thus far. He also became a two-time Pro Bowler and landed a second-team All-Pro inclusion in 2017.

He also holds a couple of NFL records to his name with the most consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards (8), tied with Calvin Johnson and most consecutive games with 100+ receiving yards to begin a season (8).

With star wideout Stefon Diggs already gone from the team, Thielen will be a usual target for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the upcoming season. The Vikings will face their first test of the 2020 season in the Green Bay Packers on September 13 at the U.S. Bank Stadium.