There Was a Comical Draft Gaffe for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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No, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t forget to make the draft selection or anything goofy like that from yesteryear, but newcomer rookie Jordan Addison has a comical and miniature gaffe on draft night.
He hung up on his new employer.
There Was a Comical Draft Gaffe for Vikings
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah selected Addison with the 23rd overall pick last month, onboarding the USC alumnus to partner with Justin Jefferson and perhaps create an offensive juggernaut in Minnesota.
But everyone in Addison’s orbit was so thrilled on draft night that the rookie disconnected the phone line when he was about to chat with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
To set the table, Addison was in Kansas City — at the draft. The Vikings brass was in Eagan, Minnesota, in its war room determining who to pick with the 23rd overall pick. They settled on Addison after declining trade offers from a couple of other clubs and locked in the draft choice.
Then, they called Addison to break the news, Adofo-Mensah declared Addison’s new employer, and handed the phone to O’Connell. The Vikings coach said, “Jordan! Jordan, are you still there?” Addison had hung up.
O’Connell quipped, “I guess when the general manager says ‘be easy,’ you hang up. Will you call him back?”
In the video, Addison described the moment for context, “Because, look. They was saying it on the TV. And I’m thinking I gotta get off the phone so I can go because they (the NFL people) was like, kinda like, rushing it. So, I hung up and started cheering and everything. And I gotta up outta there.”
Here’s the full video from the Vikings Twitter account:
The 21-year-old tabulated 3,134 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns in three seasons at Pittsburgh and USC. Upon arriving in Eagan after the draft, Addison greeted the team’s front office and coaching staff — whom he accidentally hung up on — promising to make the group proud of the draft pick. He said, “I’m so excited to be here. I’m ready to work. This is where I want to be at. I’m glad I’m here. Three receivers went before me. That’s all the fuel I needed. I’m ready to go.”
The Vikings did extensive homework on Addison during the draft’s build-up and even told the Trojan they’d choose him if the draftboard allowed it. Addison was there at No. 23, and Adofo-Mensah pressed the button. Promises kept. Hang-ups be damned.
At 5’11” and 170 pounds, Addison isn’t overly physical and certainly isn’t a big-bodied bruiser receiver. But the Vikings don’t need those traits in the 2023-and-beyond offense. Minnesota needs a workhorse WR who can relieve Jefferson on Sundays when opposing defensive coordinators tempt fate by selling out to stop the league’s best wideout.
Addison signed his rookie contract on Thursday and is now connected to the Vikings for at least the next four years. O’Connell noted his performance at last weekend’s rookie minicamp, “Jordan’s been meeting over Zoom a little bit since we drafted him, obviously within the confines of the rules. You can tell he’s a little bit ahead of a lot of the guys out on the field today, where he’s lining up, understanding exactly what that play means for what routes he has and how to go adjust once the picture changes when that ball’s snapped.”
“I thought Jordan had a really good day and just looks and feels the part, which is exactly what I expected out of him,” O’Connell added.
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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