6 Fun Facts About Jordan Addison
When the Vikings entered the draft on Thursday, speculations were even more than usual leading up to the event because the team could have gone in so many different directions with their top pick. The defense needs help at cornerback, defensive line, and linebacker.
Also on the wishlist of many fans was a new passer. The draft is not over and Will Levis and Hendon Hooker are still available, just like later-round guys Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jaren Hall, and Tanner McKee.
6 Fun Facts About Jordan Addison
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ended up sticking at the 23rd overall spot and selected wide receiver Jordan Addison out of USC. The pick was viewed as positive by most.
Elite Production and a Trophy
Of the four wide receivers selected in the first round, none had more receiving yards in his college career than Addison. His 3,134 receiving yards top Zay Flower’s 3,056. Quentin Johnston recorded 2,190, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba 1,698.
Roughly half of those yards came in his sophomore season in Pittsburgh where he played with now Steelers QB Kenny Pickett. The new Vikings receiver had 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns in that season. That was enough to secure the Biletnikoff Award, the honor for the nation’s top wideout. After the 2021 season, he transferred to USC to join Lincoln Riley’s explosive spread offense with QB Caleb Williams.
Draft Spot with Dark History
Pick number 199 will forever be Tom Brady’s draft position, a spot that usually has low expectations but whoever is selected at 199 suddenly has higher expectations than the average 6th-rounder.
Addison was picked with the 23rd overall pick, a spot where expectations are automatically lofty. He was the first wide receiver selected at that spot since the Vikings did it in 2016, you guessed it, Laquon Treadwell was the pick.
That, we all know it, didn’t work out very well for Minnesota. Addison only needs to catch 65 passes for 701 yards and 2 touchdowns to match Treadwell’s numbers, and that might even be on the menu in his rookie campaign.
The Youngest Viking
Justin Jefferson was the youngest Vikings offensive player in the league before the draft selection, and he is already a three-time Pro Bowler. The Vikings needed some youth in the room and found it.
Addison turned 21 on January 27. It’s very intriguing that the two youngest offensive players of the purple team are the two wide receivers. There won’t be a better spot for the young guy when the Vikings eventually decide to draft a QB in the near future.
But Addison isn’t just the youngest offensive player on the team, he is also the youngest player in general, taking the spot from cornerback Andrew Booth, who was selected last year with the 41st overall pick. He will turn 22 in September. The two young guys might regularly meet in practice for years to come.
The Appearance of a Goat on His Birthday
The newest member of the Minnesota Vikings was born on January 27, 2002. On that same day, Tom Brady played in his second career playoff game and his first of unbelievable 14 conference championship games.
New England won against the Steelers on the road but Brady exited the game in the second quarter with a leg injury. His backup, and former starter and Pro Bowl QB Drew Bledsoe had to come in.
The Patriots didn’t win because of elite QB play, they received help from their special teams, a punt return touchdown from Troy Brown, and a blocked field goal, also returned for a score by Antwan Harris, to pull off the 24-17 win. Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, his rings don’t even fit on one hand. Vikings fans hope that Addison can help them win their first one.
16th USC Trojan in Purple
Before Addison’s name was announced, the Vikings had drafted 15 other players out of USC. That included some all-time great Vikings and some disappointments.
Addison is the second receiver to be drafted out of USC by the Vikings, the other one was John Thomas in 1965. Unlike Addison, Thomas was an 11th-round pick and never suited up for the Vikings.
However, someone who played a lot for them was offensive tackle Ron Yary. The first overall pick in 1968 became a Hall of Famer after 15 NFL seasons, the first 14 with the Vikings, appearing in 199 games.
The most recent selection was linebacker Cameron Smith in 2019. Coming in as a fifth-rounder, Smith played in five games as a rookie but was forced to retire after having to undergo heart surgery in 2020.
Another notable pick was Matt Kalil. The fourth overall pick in 2012 had an incredible rookie year that ended with Pro Bowl honors but he declined after that. Kalil played 66 games through five seasons with the Vikings.
More successful were Everson Griffen and Joey Browner. Safety Browner was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a six-time Pro Bowler. Griffen became a fan favorite, the vocal leader of the team, and recorded 79.5 sacks wearing a purple jersey.
An Omen for Success
Addison was born in Frederick, Maryland. Frederick is the second-largest city in Maryland with roughly 80,000 people. Much more important is that a Vikings legend was born in that city: Chuck Foreman.
The running back is a member of the Vikings Ring of Honor, was the 1973 Rookie of the Year, and was a five-time Pro Bowler. He also led the league in receptions in 1975.
His 5,887 rushing yards rank him fourth in the Vikings’ history books after Dalvin Cook recently passed him, the 52 rushing touchdowns rank still second, tied with Bill Brown. The 8,944 scrimmage yards and 75 scores only trail Adrian Peterson, Cris Carter, and Randy Moss.
If Addison can even close to Foreman’s success, the Vikings will be in good shape for years to come.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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