LSU Receiver Justin Jefferson Will Have to Adjust to Familiar Outside Role Within Minnesota Offense
Surrounded by his brothers Jordan and Rickey on Thursday evening, LSU receiver Justin Jefferson’s heart just about beat out of his chest when the phone rang. On the other end was the Minnesota Vikings, who selected the youngest Jefferson brother with the No. 22 pick.
“I mean, words cannot describe the feeling in my heart,” Jefferson said after the pick. “'I’m receiving the phone call and just realizing that I'm finally becoming a professional athlete and playing for an NFL team. Definitely excited and ready to join the team.”
It was a phone call that three years ago, Jefferson probably only dreamed of getting. A two-star recruit out of Destrahan High School, Jefferson clawed his way to the top of the depth chart at LSU, turning in one of the great two-year stretches the program has seen from a receiver.
While at LSU, Jefferson caught 165 passes for 2,415 yards and 24 touchdowns. After spending year one as a starter on the outside, he made a smooth transition to the slot in 2019, something Jefferson gives a lot of credit to Joe Brady for.
“Coach Joe definitely came in and worked with us on different ball drills and eye coordination drills,” Jefferson said. “It helped me tremendously throughout the season, and it changed -- and you can tell it changed throughout my sophomore to junior season.”
Now that he’s in Minnesota, Jefferson can expect a move back to the outside but also thinks he’ll play in the slot at times as well.
“I've been playing outside all my life until last year. Last year was the first time I played slot receiver,” Jefferson said. “Yeah, definitely going into Minnesota and playing outside and inside when they need me.“
We caught up with InsidetheVikings publisher Will Ragatz to gauge exactly where Jefferson fits into the Vikings offense.
The difference between the No. 2 and the No. 3 receiver is a big one in terms of snap counts in the Vikings' run-heavy offense. Gary Kubiak's system is fairly balanced between the run and pass, which is rare in the modern NFL. Last year, the Vikings ran the ball on roughly 49% of their offensive plays, trailing only the Ravens and 49ers. They utilize a great deal of 22 personnel (1 RB, 1 FB, 1 TE, 2 WR) and 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR), so snaps can be infrequent for receivers outside of the top two, especially if the Vikings are ahead.
Jefferson's ability as a route-runner, his size, and his deceptive speed offer a lot of similarities to Adam Thielen. Both players can move around the formation and get open, and both are playmakers at the catch point. The only slight concern is that both Thielen and Jefferson are likely best suited in the slot. For Jefferson to reach his full potential with the Vikings, he'll need to be able to win on the boundary. It doesn't seem like he saw a lot of press coverage in college, so he'll have to prove he has the release ability to separate against physical NFL corners near the line of scrimmage.
Ragatz said Jefferson will be the runaway favorite to win the No. 2 receiver job as a rookie. You don’t take a guy like Jefferson with your first pick if you don’t think he’ll contribute in a major way right out of the gate.
The Vikings were thrilled to see Jefferson fall to them at 22. He should come in right away and take over as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Adam Thielen, helping fill the void created by the trade of Stefon Diggs in March.
Through all of the success the last two years has generated for Jefferson, he never forgets his origins. It’s being overlooked in recruiting or being mistaken for a walk on his freshman season that made Jefferson want to work extra hard.
Expect that motivation and work ethic to only grow stronger now that he’s achieved his ultimate dream.
“I was very small, undersized, lightly recruited, the whole thing,” Jefferson said. “Definitely didn't think that this would be coming and just to be -- being in this situation, not a lot of people can say that they have been drafted or even been in the first round. Definitely blessed to be in this situation.“
