One Vikings Rookie Forecasted for ‘Monster Season’
The Minnesota Vikings had every reason imaginable in the 2023 NFL Draft to select a defensive player with the 23rd overall pick after a season where the defense ranked 27th in DVOA, 30th in points allowed, and 31st in yards allowed.
One Vikings Rookie Forecasted for ‘Monster Season’
But the enterprise said no thanks to that idea, instead selecting wide receiver Jordan Addison from USC. Addison will pair with reigning Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson to perhaps light up scoreboards through the air on Sundays in 2023.
And according to Fan Duel’s Kay Adams, Addison will do precisely that, as the 21-year-old is on deck for a ‘monster season.’ Adams explained this week, “We gotta give Jordan some love. And now you’ve got Justin Jefferson there, but situation matters so much when you look at which rookie receivers pop up.”
Addison totaled 3,134 receiving yards at USC and Pittsburgh and 29 touchdowns in three seasons. The man has the numbers. He’s 5’11” and 170 pounds — not the largest NFLer — but does command targets and should duly receive in a Vikings pass-happy offense.
Adams continued, “He is — because of Justin Jefferson and a whole other bunch of reasons — in the best possible spot to kind of have a monster year.”
Addison and the Vikings made the relationship official one month ago, inking a standard 1st-Round-rookie agreement for four years and $13.7 million with a 5th-year team option in 2027. The USC standout is now a Viking for at least the next four seasons — and probably longer.
Adams’ Fan Duel show and panel went on to declare Addison could total between 1,100 and 1,200 receiving yards while showcasing a better season than fellow rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle.
Addison missed some of Vikings organized team activities in the last few weeks and was also on the shelf for mandatory minicamp. The franchise is acting cautiously with an Addison injury it calls minor. The rookie is expected to be ready for training camp.
“They’re gonna pass the ball even more, the Vikings. You get rid of Dalvin Cook — I know he caught the ball a little bit — but I mean, having the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson helps him, so hopefully that frees up Addison to make big plays out of the gate,” Adams concluded.
Addison has +1600 odds to win the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, the seventh-highest probability in the business.
Former Vikings TE Done for the Year
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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