The Minnesota Vikings needed a wide receiver after trading Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills last month. On Thursday night, they got it, selecting LSU's Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall pick of the NFL Draft.
Jefferson has everything you want in an NFL receiver, possessing solid size (6-foot-1, 202 pounds), great hands and nice speed.
Whether or not he is actually going to develop on the professional level remains to be seen. Because we have seen plenty of wideouts with all of the tools in the world not pan out once they got to the NFL. But regardless, Jefferson was a good pick for the Vikings.
After trading away Diggs, Minnesota was suddenly very thin at receiver. It was basically Adam Thielen and not much else. Yes, the Vikings have Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. at tight end. But Kirk Cousins needs more than just one reliable wide receiver.
Minnesota obviously understood that, which is why it went and got Jefferson with the very same first round pick that it received from the Bills in the Diggs deal.
Jefferson is coming off of a monstrous junior campaign at LSU in which he hauled in 111 receptions for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns, helping the Tigers win a national championship.
Yes, he was catching passes from Joe Burrow, which may have inflated his numbers. But it also works the other way around. I'm sure Burrow wouldn't have thrown 60 touchdown passes without a freak like Jefferson in his receiving corps.
It should also be noted that Jefferson played almost exclusively in the slot this past season, which certainly increased his usage and was also why some teams had some reservations about drafting him. However, he did play on the outside during his sophomore year and posted solid results, catching 54 passes for 875 yards and six scores.
Plus, Jefferson flashed more speed at the Scouting Combine than most anticipated (he ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash), so when you combine his speed with his physical makeup, you can envision him beating press coverage on the NFL level.
He may not have the explosive big-play ability of Henry Ruggs III or Jalen Reagor, both of whom were taken before him (one pick before him in Reagor's case), but Jefferson may very well be one of the most polished receivers in this draft class in terms of his versatility and overall talent.
While Ruggs and Reagor rely heavily (if not solely) on their game-breaking speed, Jefferson utilizes every aspect of what a successful wide receiver should embody.
And heck, even if Jefferson is just a slot receiver, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Keenan Allen and Julian Edelman are slot guys. So was Victor Cruz. Slot receivers can be very valuable.
Essentially, the Vikings badly needed a wide receiver after sending Diggs packing, especially after handing Cousins a contract extension. They went and got it by taking Jefferson. And who knows? Maybe Jefferson will be even better than Diggs.
Either way, Minnesota addressed a major need, and they deserve to be praised for it.
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