MANKATO, Minn. — Many thought Vikings rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs was the star of Saturday night’s scrimmage at Blakeslee Stadium. Diggs wasn’t one of them.

After the session before a packed house of 10,300 fans, Diggs was the first player Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater lauded. Working with backup Shaun Hill, Diggs caught a 40-yard touchdown pass over the middle and had a TD catch in the left corner of the end zone in which he took the ball away from cornerback Marcus Sherels.

“To be a young guy, he’s showing what it takes to play in this league and we’re glad to have him,” Bridgewater said.

Diggs, though, doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. He wasn’t too impressed by his showing, saying he has a lot of work to do as the Vikings enter the second week of training camp.

“I did OK,” said Diggs, a fifth-round pick last May who also had a nifty diving catch. “I feel like I didn’t win enough as far as on the outside. I got a lot of work to do as far as technique to try to get better. I’ve got a lot of work to do just as far as fundamentals out of my breaks, diagnosing coverages faster just so I can recognize my assignments.”

But what about the two touchdowns by Diggs that electrified the crowd? Bridgewater called it the “Maryland Terps connect” considering Diggs is a rookie from the school while Hill last played for the Terps 13 years earlier.

“I don’t even remember the touchdowns, I remember all the reps I lost,” said Diggs, who did have a dropped pass. “I could have attacked the ball better (on the TD in which he beat Sherels). You can always get better. I got to win more.”

Nevertheless, Bridgewater likes what he’s seen so far.

“He comes in and he works,” Bridgewater said. “Diggs has a group of (receivers) in front of him who set a great example. … He comes out every day and he just competes.”

Tackle Matt Kalil also has been impressed.

“He’s a player,” Kalil said. “I think he’s done some good stuff. He’s got great hands from what I’ve seen. He can make plays.”

Diggs looks to be a shoo-in to make the 53-man roster. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said he expects Diggs to be a contributor as a rookie.

It could be as a punt or kickoff returner. Diggs is challenging Sherels for the job returning punts just two years after he was second in the NFL with a 15.2-yard average.

Getting on the field as a receiver could be tougher. The Vikings are extremely deep there, with Mike Wallace, Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jarius Wright all now ahead of the rookie and Adam Thielen also in the mix.

“There are receivers out there all across the board,” Diggs said. “We got a great group of guys that are out there competing and pushing each other to be better.”

Meanwhile, Diggs has made it clear he believes he must do better.

BRIEFLY

Sitting out practice Sunday were running back DuJuan Harris (shoulder), offensive tackle Carter Bykowski (leg bruise) and wide receiver Gavin Lutman (hamstring). Zimmer said cornerback Jeff Robinson, on the PUP list with a torn labrum, is not close to returning. … Hill, 35, had his arm rested following Saturday night’s scrimmage, with Zimmer quipping the team “ran out of oil in the training room.” … When the Vikings face Pittsburgh in Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, it will mark the third time Zimmer has coached in the game. Zimmer, on hand as a Dallas assistant in 1999 and a Cincinnati assistant in 2010, sees no negatives in having an extra preseason game.

Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson.