Vikings select LSU WR Justin Jefferson at 22
This is the most Vikings thing ever.
With the 22nd overall pick in the first round the Vikings drafted yet ANOTHER receiver from the SEC (which makes about a baker’s dozen at this point), none of which have panned out I’ll remind you. Despite the fact that they could’ve waited into the second round to get a receiver that will have a better career than the mediocre product of the system/players around him in Josh Jefferson, and instead of investing in the offensive line, they went with trading down to the 31st spot and 117, and 176. Next up? I’m sure they’ll draft a corner.
With these first round picks, the Vikings and their “brain”-trust of Rick Spielman essentially showed why they shouldn’t have been allowed to have their fingerprints ANYWHERE near this mini-rebuild.
I’ll remind you that the main thing this Vikings team is missing is an outside/down-the-field receiver now that Stefon Diggs is gone. And they replaced him with… Justin “I can’t play on the outside” Jefferson. For a team that has failed to find a third receiver behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, this could’ve made sense as a third receiver, maybe, but considering how often Thielen plays in the slot (and Jefferson’s inability to play on the outside), this just seems like a double negative.
Don’t believe me?
Read his draft profile from Pro Football Focus.
“Justin Jefferson ran 575 of his 583 total routes from the slot a season ago with LSU. His production was second to none, as he led the nation with 109 slot receptions and 1,518 slot receiving yards.”
Yay.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, he had a MONSTER 2019. I get that. But, you have to look at what the Vikings actually NEED versus what a slot, glorified possession guy can do.
The Vikings had Stefon Diggs, remember, and they didn’t get over the hump even before the 49ers turned into a team that embarrassed the Vikings so bad that George Edwards fell on the sword for his long-time partner in crime, head coach Mike Zimmer.
The main reason for that was due to the complete lack of investment in the offensive line during the Zimmer/Spielman regime. Replacing Diggs with a glorified slot receiver doesn’t do much for me, especially as deep threats like Denzel Mims were (and are) still available.
Fix the line first. Maybe?
I mean, having a guy to dump the ball off to might help, since the line is always the afterthought. But, I mean, don’t be blinded by the 18 touchdowns and 1,500 yards in 2019. LSU was amazing, and at best Jefferson will definitely never be better than Diggs (especially as a rookie), so you traded Diggs for a … Not Diggs.
So why not use that pick to finally shore up the line?
Let’s hope they do that at 31. Because this pick doesn’t make the Vikings better. In fact, considering that they could’ve traded down and had Mims, and more picks like the above, and shored up the line.
So, let’s hope that they’ll trade for Trent Williams (as word is that the asking price by the ‘Skins has dropped from the first round to some have said, like PA, a THIRD day pick). Otherwise this is just more of the same from the Vikings power that be, in what is going to be the last year of their deal unless they somehow get the message they haven’t, clearly, yet.
