With the pick 22nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Vikings select LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson …
Justin Jefferson Career Statistics
| Year | Age | Rec | Team % | ReYds | Team % | ReTD | Team % | Yds/TmAtt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 18.6 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 |
| 2018 | 19.6 | 54 | 24.11% | 875 | 29.46% | 6 | 35.29% | 2.26 |
| 2019 | 20.6 | 111 | 26.06% | 1540 | 25.56% | 18 | 29.50% | 2.71 |
Jefferson had a monster 2019 campaign (111-1,540-18) that was aided by playing in the best passing game we have ever seen at the collegiate level. While that 2019 environment absolutely boosted his total line, Jefferson still posted his highest yardage per team passing attempt of his three seasons (he only appeared in two games as a freshman in 2017) at LSU.
But going back to 2018 when the offense was not a pinball machine, Jefferson posted 29.5% of the LSU receiving yards and 35.2% of the team receiving touchdowns at age-19. He showed he can win outside and vertically more than he is credited for as he played primarily outside in that 2018 season (19.1% slot rate) while playing heavily inside this past season (78.0% slot rate per Pro Football Focus).
My personal prospect model loves Jefferson for being hyper-productive as the second-youngest wideout in this class, but also that he tested out as a better measurable athlete (61st percentile) than both Lamb and Jeudy at a higher weight than both despite the notion that Jefferson is majorly at a disadvantage compared to those two players as an athlete.
After trading Stefon Diggs this offseason, the Vikings have a large void to fill at the wide receiver position. Diggs was second in the NFL in receiving yards per team pass attempt (2.42 yards) in 2019 and accounted for 30.3% of the Minnesota passing yardage, which was sixth among all wideouts.
The team has Adam Thielen, but he will also be 30-years-old this upcoming season and has had 69-866-9 with two 100-yard games over his past 18 games played in the regular season. Hamstring issues sapped his 2019 season, but you would like more insurance behind him. Minnesota used 11 personnel on a league-low 18% of their passing plays in 2019 (league rate was 64%), but Jefferson is immediately their No. 2 option given their shallow depth chart.
