Vikings Top Draft Pick Reportedly in Some Trouble
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings training camp begins Sunday, with rookies reporting to Eagan and veterans following two days later.
But before the on-the-field dealings, an off-the-field matter arose Thursday, as rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison was reportedly charged with reckless driving very early Thursday morning.
Vikings Top Draft Pick Reportedly in Some Trouble
SI.com’s Bill Enright tweeted Thursday, “Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison was charged with reckless driving last night. Was doing 140 MPH in his Lambo. Source: Minnesota State Patrol.”
Two additional sources tell VikingsTerritory that the Enright reporting is accurate.
The Vikings used the 23rd overall pick in April’s draft on Addison, and the 21-year-old is on deck to play a crucial role in the Vikings short-term and long-term offense. Adam Thielen departed the club for the Carolina Panthers in March, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tabbed Addison as his eventual replacement.
The Vikings, as a franchise, were utterly notorious for player arrests in the 2000s, but during the Mike Zimmer era, off-the-field distractions and infractions rapidly declined. At least for a day in July, the tomfoolery returned.
Addison missed all of Vikings minicamp with a minor injury but is on deck for training camp later this week. It is unclear if the reckless driving infraction changes that plan.
Addison and the Vikings made his contract official in May, inking a standard 1st-Round-rookie agreement for four years and $13.7 million with a 5th-year team option in 2027. He’s scheduled to form a WR room that includes Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Nailor, Jalen Reagor, Brandon Powell, and himself, among others, in 2023.
The young wideout totaled 3,134 receiving yards at USC and Pittsburgh and 29 touchdowns in three seasons. The man has the on-the-field resume. He’s 5’11” and 170 pounds — not the largest NFLer — but does command targets and should duly receive those on Sundays in a Vikings pass-happy offense.
Back in May, Vikings offensive lineman Oli Udoh was cited for the same infraction, according to KSTP, traveling 97 miles per hour in a 55 MPH zone. Udoh was actually hit with a few driving violations in the same month.
Addison was the fourth wideout chosen in April’s draft after Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnston, and Zay Flowers.
His scouting report coming out of college had virtually no character concerns.
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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