Despite only being two years into his NFL career, Justin Jefferson is already one of the best receivers in the game.
But game recognizes game, and the Minnesota Vikings star wideout has faced his fair share of elite opposition at the cornerback position. When appearing on The Ringer NFL Show, he was asked to name the top corners he’s gone head-to-head with as a Viking.
It didn’t take him long to settle on a couple of players from two of the best defensive teams in the league.
“Jalen Ramsey, of course, is a top-tier cornerback,” said Jefferson. “His ability to be long and to be aggressive. That’s definitely one of the three things that is so difficult to get by him. …Marshon Lattimore is also a difficult corner to go up against. He’s twitchy, he’s fast and you can’t really beat him off the ball too much. So it’s all technical.”
Justin Jefferson says two corners are giving him the most problems in the league.
1. Jalen Ramsey
2. Marshon LattimoreFull pod here: https://t.co/C4vcvsNMRV pic.twitter.com/0Y1Y7tw1yW
— #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) June 29, 2022
Ramsey is one of the foundational pieces of the juggernaut Los Angeles Rams defense that just won a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Lattimore stars in another high-ranking defensive unit for the New Orleans Saints.
Jefferson will actually get another crack at Lattimore when the Vikings face the Saints in Week 4 of the 2022 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. And perhaps, if the season goes according to plan, there could be another run-in with Ramsey in a future playoff game as well.
But things will clearly be different this time around.
The third-year version of Jefferson with head coach Kevin O’Connell at the helm of the Vikings offense could be a problem for everyone, including Ramsey and Lattimore.