Welcome to SKOL Search!
This series will be your guide to the 2023 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.
The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at wide receiver, running back, cornerback and both interior and edge pass rusher.
The Vikings are slated to have four picks before compensatory selections are awarded and they need to make the most out of them.
Background
Jordan Addison
- USC, transferred from Pitt
- Height-6’0″
- Weight-175 lbs
- Third-year Junior
- 4-Star recruit per 247 Sports
- Stats: 219 receptions, 3,134 yards, 29 touchdowns
- Games watched: Clemson 2021, Rice 2022, Stanford 2022, Oregon State 2022
Strengths
Addison is a tremendous football player. Some players just get the wide receiver position and he is one of them. He epitomizes it in so many ways, mainly his intelligence. He understands where to be and what to do.
That pacing he displayed in the above clip is something that he excels in. It isn’t just finding holes in zones, it’s everywhere. His route running though is something to behild. Being subtle in his movements and selling what he is doing to the defense. On this play, he does just that by selling an in-breaking route before taking it to the corner, creating separation with ease.
He isn’t just a great route runner with subtlety. Addison is also twiched up and explosive with his movements. Releases are a plus for Addison, as he has a varied release package that can get him a clean release from any allignment. He invoked shades of Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs with this whip route on the goal line.
Addison also thrives with the ball in his hands. He reads blockers well and has the speed to take advantage of space. Pair that with his excellent ball-tracking skills and you have a dangerous weapon. This next clip shows how well he reads his blockers and explodes through the hole.
Weaknesses
While he played 75.7% of the time on the outside at USC, he was almost exclusively a slot at Pitt where he played there 68.0% of the time in 2021. His size is somewhat limited which could lead teams to view him as a slot only at the next level.
His size also exemplifies his physical ability. It’s not a strength of his, but Addison can block when necessary, but physicality isn’t his game.
Overview
| Hands | 8.2/10 |
| Release | 8.9/10 |
| Route Running | 14.1/15 |
| Separation | 14.0/15 |
| Contested Catches | 8.1/10 |
| Tracking | 8.5/10 |
| Body Control | 8.7/10 |
| YAC Ability | 8.8/10 |
| Agility | 8.9/10 |
| Grade | 88.2/100 First Round |
Addison is an excellent player that will get a lot of talk about potentially going in the top 10, but I think he ends up going in the top 15. He’s an excellent player that is what baseball scouts would call a five-tool player.
He would fit in tremendously well on the Vikings in honestly any role they would want to see him in. if he somehow is available in the back end of the first round, the Vikings need to jump on him.
