Vikings Rookie Jordan Addison Impresses in First Week of Training Camp
Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison has returned to action in training camp and left no mistake as to why he was a first-round pick in this year's draft.
Addison, the No. 23 overall pick out of USC, has already worked his way up to getting heavy reps with the first-team offense (although Jalen Nailor's injury may have played a role in that). As advertised, he's a bit undersized and isn't going to jump out of the gym, but he's shown off all the traits that have the Vikings believing he has star potential at this level. Addison is a shifty, twitchy athlete who runs crisp routes and has reliable hands.
Those are skills that will earn him trust from quarterback Kirk Cousins.
"I think he's got a lot of ability," Cousins said. "We've thrown him in with all the complex run game rules and motions and formations and the route tree we're asking him to learn, and I think he's handled it really well and I think he's shown his athleticism and his ability as a receiver. He's a natural catcher of the football, he tracks the ball well, so I'm excited about just continuing to do more with him and get him involved."
Addison picked up an injury during rookie minicamp that caused him to miss all of OTAs and minicamp in the spring. Although he wasn't out on the field, he used that time to dive into the playbook and get himself mentally prepared, while also working with the training staff to get healthy for the start of camp.
As an observer, what you can see on the practice field are the physical tools. But for Addison to be getting the volume of reps that he's had thus far — and to have success in full-team periods — tells you he's on the right track when it comes to learning the offense.
"He’s off to a really good start," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Completely put his (injury) issue from the spring behind him. He put in the work throughout the summer, so that was really not something I was particularly concerned about, but what he’s done on the grass so far has confirmed a lot of the things that we expected from Jordan."
O'Connell brought up a specific play from Monday's practice. During a red zone period, Cousins moved around in the pocket to extend the play and Addison, after running his initial route, moved to the back corner of the end zone to give Cousins a target. The veteran quarterback eventually saw Addison was open and connected with him for a touchdown.
"He’s also done some things instinctively, just playing football within the confines of our scheme, whether it’s a scramble drill — people probably saw that catch in the corner of the end zone," O'Connell said. "That’s him improvising with a 12-year NFL quarterback to be in the right place at the right time. He’s done that on little things. He's showing a willingness to be a blocker, he’s showing understanding of how he fits within the scheme and the rhythm and timing of the quarterback and the pass game, so (we're) really excited about him."
Addison, who won the 2021 Biletnikoff Award at Pitt as the best receiver in college football, found a fortunate landing spot in Minnesota. He's in a pass-heavy offense that features a quality quarterback, a highly-regarded wide receivers coach, and the best player at his position in the NFL.
According to Justin Jefferson, Addison is progressing well and starting to come out of his shell a little bit.
"He's starting to talk a little more," Jefferson said. "That's a good thing. He's a quiet, shy guy, so we're really just trying to get him out that comfort zone, that shyness — for him to talk more, dance more, just be himself. On-the-field-wise, he's doing a great job. I feel like he's learning the playbook very well. Every time that he doesn't understand something, I'm tryna teach him how to understand it or asking him what he got on this play so he knows when he comes out on the field. It's always a learning stage, especially as a rookie, so I want to be that guy to teach him and work his way through that."
The league's reigning offensive player of the year is a pretty good mentor to have.
It's still very early, but Addison has bounced back from an offseason injury — and a dumb off-the-field mistake — and is putting together an impressive first training camp with the Vikings.
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