Vikings' Justin Jefferson Falls One Vote Short of Deebo Samuel For First Team All-Pro Honors
The AP All-Pro teams have been announced, and Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson will have to wait another year to potentially make his first team debut. Jefferson fell one vote short of receiving that honor this year, settling for a second consecutive second team nod to open his incredible career.
At WR, Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams understandably led the way as unanimous first team selections, receiving all 50 votes. Kupp had one of the greatest receiving seasons ever, leading the league with 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Adams finished third in the NFL in receiving with 1,553 yards, but plays on the NFC's No. 1 seed and has been established for years now as arguably the game's best wideout.
The 49ers' Deebo Samuel received 21 first team votes, while Jefferson fell one shy at 20. The Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase got the other nine.
It's hard to imagine Jefferson's season — he finished second in the league with 1,616 receiving yards — wasn't worthy of a first team nod. But it's also tough to be too upset that any of Kupp, Adams, or Samuel made it over him. Samuel basically carried the 49ers to the playoffs, finishing the year with 1,405 receiving yards and six TDs, 365 rushing yards and eight more TDs on the ground, and a passing touchdown to boot. He bested Jefferson by 140 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns.
There's a possible debated about how much rushing production should be weighed when comparing receivers — maybe the All-Pro teams needs a FLEX spot? — but Samuel had a truly incredible year, as did Jefferson.
So Jefferson will have to settle for second team All-Pro honors for a second consecutive season to open his career. Still just 22, he'll have plenty of opportunities to land on the first team throughout his career. Knowing Jefferson, this will just add fuel to his fire for the offseason. Also, how crazy is it that the 2019 LSU Tigers had two All-Pro receivers in Jefferson and Chase?
Three other Vikings received first team All-Pro votes. Brian O'Neill got three at right tackle, falling behind Tristan Wirfs (37) and Lane Johnson (10). Harrison Smith got one at safety. And Kene Nwangwu got seven at kick returner, but came in third behind Braxton Berrios of the Jets and Andre Roberts of the Chargers. Neither of those guys had two touchdown returns like Nwangwu did, but they also had a lot more overall volume since Nwangwu missed the first half of the year.
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