Is Jordan Addison a Star in the Making?
The Minnesota Vikings used their first-round pick this year on wide receiver Jordan Addison, so it is no shock that he is being talked about so much this offseason.
Yes, he did make a very poor decision by speeding at 140 miles per hour. That did bring some extra attention to the rookie out of USC, but regardless he was going to be talked about plenty, given his draft status.
Is Jordan Addison a Star in the Making?
Minnesota said goodbye to fellow wide receiver Adam Thielen who had been with the team since 2013. Given his price tag and play declining, it was not a surprise that they said goodbye to him and drafted a wide receiver in the first round.
Addison is having a very good camp. He is running good routes, showing good footwork, and doing a good job catching the ball.
Will it translate onto the field when it matters most? That will be very interesting to find out. Maybe he will be very good right away. It may take him at least a half-season or more than a year. Perhaps he will be a bust. Still very early to say.
Nonetheless, the fact that he looks good during camp is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. It definitely would have been a concern if he struggled right now, especially since camp differs from the games.
As Allen Iverson once said, “We’re talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Not a game.”
Again, maybe this will not all translate onto the field during the games, but Addison is off to a good start so far. Not so much off the field, but on the field, yes.
K.J. Osborn is currently the team’s no.2 wide receiver and possibly could be the whole season, but Addison should still get plenty of opportunities. This league has become more and more pass-happy, and the loss of Dalvin Cook could make Kevin O’Connell want his team to throw even more. Having a good quarterback in Kirk Cousins will also help the rookie.
Highly unlikely Addison will have the same impact as a rookie that Randy Moss and Justin Jefferson did, but if he even gets around 700 yards receiving and five touchdowns, it would be beneficial to this offense. Those are numbers very fair expectations for him.
Despite being a first-rounder, it would not be bad if he did not set the league on fire in year one. Sure, it would be very beneficial, but it should not be an expectation, nor should he be considered a bust if he does not. What Jefferson did as a rookie was very rare. What Moss did was that more rare.
Another reason he will not be expected or asked to do a lot right away is that this team has many weapons. Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the league, Osborn is productive, too, and TJ Hockenson is one of the best tight ends. Alexander Mattison will not get as many touches as Cook did but will still get a decent amount.
A trusted position coach in Keenan McCardell will be another positive going his way.
When Addison is on the field, defenses must focus more on the others, especially in the beginning.
Fans will get their first chance to see the former USC Trojan this Thursday at Seattle. Sure, it is only preseason, but still an NFL game nonetheless. It will be interesting to see how many snaps he plays this week and the next two. Given he was the team’s first-round pick, fans will most likely be excited to watch him. He is having a solid camp so far. Can he translate that onto the field in a game? Once again, that will be very interesting to find out.
The franchise has an outstanding history when it comes to wide receivers. Sammy White, Ahmad Rashad, Anthony Carter, Cris Carter, Jake Reed, Moss, Percy Harvin, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and now Jefferson.
Maybe Addison could be on that list down the road. If he keeps progressing and stays healthy, he could have a wonderful career ahead. He needs to also stay out of trouble too. That was only one incident, though, and he sounded very remorseful for his actions. Having a mentor like Jefferson could also not only be very beneficial to him on the field but also off the field too.
Diggs, a fifth-round pick, had 52 receptions for 720 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 13 games. If he plays every game or close to it, Addison could get better numbers this year.
No, that does not mean he will definitely be a better receiver than Diggs if he has better rookie numbers, but that would be a significant step in the right direction and will give the fans and organization even more hope for the youngster.
Minnesota made the right decision by drafting him. When it is all said and done, this pick could end up being a quite good one, and it very possibly will be. His teammates and coaches definitely increase the chances of that happening. His head coach, especially, is a good offensive mind.
That is a marvelous support system to have. He just needs to keep working and stay healthy, and maybe one day, he will be in the team’s Ring of Honor. Still very early, but always fun to look ahead.
Even some of the greatest athletes to ever play will tell you that some of their success came from their teammates and coaches.
If Addison has a great career, there is a good chance he will thank O’Connell, Cousins, Jefferson, Osborn, Hockenson, and others for helping him get there.
If he did not have this good of a supporting cast, it would have forced him to get more targets. Sure, that would have helped in some ways, but it also would have put too much on his plate right away. Sometimes that can be really hard for a rookie to take. Too much pressure right off the bat can motivate some, but it could also destroy one’s confidence.
The show is about to start for the kid, and it could be a fun ride.
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