Inside The Vikings

One wide receiver comes in above Justin Jefferson in new rankings

Is the Vikings star the best wideout in the league, or is there one better?
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reacts after a catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reacts after a catch against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025. | Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

There's one wide receiver better than Justin Jefferson, at least according to Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus released a list of the top-32 wide receivers entering the 2025 NFL season, and the Minnesota Vikings star pass-catcher came in at No. 2, behind only Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, who took the top spot in the rankings. The top three were in their own tier separate and included Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase at third.

"Jefferson has been in the conversation for the league's best receiver since his rookie season," PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote. "Over the past three years, the Vikings star ranks second among all wideouts in cumulative WAR (1.66) and also holds the second-best per-season WAR average (0.55)."

Brown didn't nearly match Jefferson's production in terms of pure stats — Jefferson had 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns to Brown's 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven scores — but Brown did play four fewer games. And neither touched Chase's 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, all of which led the league in 2024.

PFF gave the nod to Brown, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, as he had the best grade vs. single coverage (96.6).

But is he truly better than Jefferson? We'll get another look this season.

Division rival Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions fell just outside of PFF's "Tier 1" of receivers, coming in at No. 4 in the rankings. Of other division rivals, Chicago's DJ Moore came in at No. 20 and Detroit's Jameson Williams at No. 32.

Overall, Jefferson will be back on the field soon enough, and we'll see then who's truly the No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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