The Minnesota Vikings have found Justin Jefferson’s partner-in-crime.
With the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Vikings selected USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Addison was the fourth consecutive wide receiver selected in the draft. The run on wide receivers began with the Seattle Seahawks, who picked Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick. The Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens followed by selecting TCU’s Quentin Johnston and Boston College’s Zay Flowers, respectively.
Addison joins a receiver room headlined by Jefferson and KJ Osborn and will likely see a majority of the offensive snaps as a rookie.
Here are five reasons to get excited about Addison.
Collegiate production
No wide receivers in this year’s draft had the production that Jordan Addison had at the collegiate level.
Beginning his career at Pittsburgh, Addison quickly blossomed and became one of the best wide receivers by his sophomore season. In 2021, Addison finished with 1,593 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 14 games. Addison eclipsed the 100-yard mark eight times that season, including a 202-yard and four touchdown outburst against Virginia.
Addison joined Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant as the third Pittsburgh player to earn the Biletnikoff Award, awarded to college football’s most outstanding wide receiver.
After that season, Addison transferred to USC, where he continued to produce at a high level. In 11 games last season, Addison totaled 875 receiving yards and hauled in eight touchdowns. He was named to the All-Pac 12 First Team following the season.
Route Running
For what Addison lacks in speed, he makes up for in route running ability. Not only is Addison one of the best route runners in the class, but he might enter as one of the best in the league.
Addison’s tape is littered with advanced techniques to run effective routes, including strong footwork to defeat leverages. If a defensive back isn’t alert, Addison will make him look silly and give him a lowlight.
Moving to the NFL should help Addison’s route running even more. The hashes in the NFL are wider apart, allowing technicians to operate better.
After the catch ability
Although Addison isn’t fast, he is slippery, which allows him to make plays with the ball in his hands.
It looked like someone slathered Addison up in oil before every game as defensive backs struggled to tackle him. Addison is best in a phone booth, where he uses his advanced footwork to make defenders miss and get extra yards, but he can also make plays in the open field.
That ability after the catch allowed Addison to get more opportunities on shorter routes. Teams usually prefer players with more athleticism, but Addison can likely run screens and crossers at the next level because he makes defenders look silly.
Versatility
What’s better than one versatile wide receiver? Two versatile wide receivers.
Justin Jefferson is already one of the more versatile wide receivers, making an impact in the slot and outside as a boundary receiver. That versatility has allowed head coach Kevin O’Connell to move him around the field to create mismatches.
Addison’s college career is riddled with versatility, with the 6-foot wide receiver playing inside-out a lot. Like Jefferson, Addison playing as a slot wide receiver allowed him to attack mismatches with defensive backs.
His fit with the Vikings
While Addison has some versatility, he’ll likely be limited to the outside with the Vikings.
Zone-heavy offenses require the slot wide receiver to be a capable run blocker, and Addison struggled with holding his own as a blocker in college. It’s not an effort problem, which is good news for the Vikings, but he can’t be trusted to defend most defensive backs in one-on-one blocking situations.
As a result, Addison will likely begin his career as an outside wide receiver. He could play some X-receiver, lining him up at the line of scrimmage, but at 173 pounds, Addison might struggle in press-man coverage.
Instead, playing Addison as the Z-receiver should help him avoid press coverage, giving him more free releases. That should allow him to use his route running to separate from cornerbacks and get open in the short game more often.
