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It is not uncommon for professional athletes–especially in the NBA and NFL–to use draft-day slights as motivation. Such is the case with Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The 2020 NFL Draft was loaded with talent at the receiver position. But Jefferson was the fifth wideout off the board after the Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly opted for TCU product Jalen Reagor.
Jefferson said Thursday he thinks about his draft slippage quite often:
“I think about it a lot and that’s what kind of fuels my game,” Jefferson said on Thursday, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Just having in the back of my mind that there are always people that doubt me of doing certain things. There’s always people that have hatred towards me or whatever. I just use that as fuel towards my game and I just go out there and try to prove everybody wrong.”
Jefferson has done more than proved skeptics wrong. He has all but wrapped up Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Vikings.
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The former LSU star has had a tremendous 2020, ranking fourth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,039) and yards per reception (17.0) to go along with seven touchdowns.
Although Stefon Diggs is having quite a year in Buffalo, Jefferson's numbers seem to suggest the Vikings did just fine in that trade with the Bills.
Jefferson has given the Vikings a guy capable of stretching opposing secondaries and making plays in the red zone. He is a tremendously underrated route runner even in comparison to guys like Jerry Jeudy, who had been labeled one of the best route runners in the class.
Minnesota is still scratching and clawing for a playoff spot. The Vikings will hope Jefferson can stay hungry down the stretch.
