Damien Woody and Darren Woodson preview the Vikings' matchup with a Packers team without Aaron Rodgers once again. (0:41)

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- A Pro Bowl selection is one of the highest individual honors for an NFL player. It can reflect a season of career-best achievements, which is the case in 2017 for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.

Four years ago, Thielen was an undrafted rookie signed to the Vikings' practice squad. Now he's WR1 on a playoff-bound team.

Thielen's 1,191 receiving yards on 83 catches rank fifth and seventh, respectively in the NFL. He leads the league in third-down receptions with 32, turning 24 of those catches into first downs, a mark that ranks second.

When Thielen was given his "I'd like to thank the Academy" moment, he chose to deflect the attention away from his own achievements and share the honor with those who played a role in getting him here.

Adam Thielen has 83 catches for 1,191 yards and four touchdowns this season. Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

"It's not just my award, it's a team award," Thielen said of his Pro Bowl berth. "You have to have a great offensive line, great quarterback and guys around you that believe in you and help you. We have a lot of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball that have helped me get open. Obviously, the coaches put us in the right position, so it's a team award, it's an offense accomplishment and I'm definitely proud to represent them."

Of Case Keenum's 3,219 passing yards, 1,014 have gone to Thielen. Keenum and Thielen are just the third undrafted quarterback-receiver combo to reach 1,000 yards in a season since the beginning of the Super Bowl era in 1966, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The last to do it? Dallas' Tony Romo and Miles Austin with 1,320 yards in 2009, the year the Vikings beat the Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs. Before them, Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna and receiver Mike Furrey connected for 1,086 yards in 2006.

Undrafted out of Minnesota State-Mankato, Thielen shares a similar journey with Keenum, who started his career as a practice-squad player with the Houston Texans in 2012. Nine of the NCAA passing records Keenum set at the University of Houston remain untouched five years after he went undrafted.

It's a point of pride for Thielen, who touched on the role their similar backgrounds played in the success they've achieved together this season.

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"I think that's why we have such good chemistry because we kind of both know where each other comes from," Thielen said on NFL Network after the Pro Bowl rosters were revealed. "A lot of people have doubted us over the years. He's just a great guy, a great teammate, a great leader and a guy who has really elevated this team to a different level. We're very thankful that he's on our side."

Keenum was one of several notable Pro Bowl snubs for the Vikings, along with safety Harrison Smith and defensive tackle Linval Joseph, each of whom were selected to last year's game. Thielen will join defensive end Everson Griffen, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and linebacker Anthony Barr at the game on Jan. 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer admitted that when he arrived in 2014 -- Thielen's first year on the 53-man roster -- he probably didn't see a scenario in which Thielen would become a Pro Bowler.

"No, probably not," Zimmer said. "But I didn't know his heart. Now I know his heart."