Moss Day Allows for Dreams on Justin Jefferson
Ted Schwerzler
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The Minnesota Vikings drafted Randy Moss in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. That event occurred on April 18, and he was selected as 21st overall. Now, all of these years later, it’s hard not to wonder if there will eventually be a Justin Jefferson day as well.
Moss Day Allows for Dreams on Justin Jefferson
Hailing from Marshall University, Randy Moss lasted on the board until the 21st overall pick. Some personality red flags followed him, and plenty of those lasted throughout his career. Few were anything to actually worry about, but they were a notable talking point in his draft process.
Unlike Moss, Justin Jefferson had no character concerns, but he also sat available for quite some time. Minnesota didn’t select the LSU product until the 22nd overall selection, and despite now being the best wide receiver in the league, multiple players at his position were taken ahead of him.
Obviously, Moss’ accolades are well-documented at this point. He’s a Hall of Famer who was named to four separate All-Pro teams. He racked up a whopping 156 career touchdowns and was the favorite target of quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper and Tom Brady. His career was truly one of the record books, and he reinvented what we thought an elite wide receiver could look like.
Jefferson isn’t the same height as Moss, and he isn’t the jump ball threat that the former Vikings wideout was, but his precise route running and incredible hands have helped him along the way. He has racked up more yardage than we have seen from anyone out of the gate, and his career trajectory could not be pointing any higher.
Heading into the 2024 season, it is expected that Jefferson will sign a lucrative new deal that will make him among the highest-paid players in the sport. In doing so, he will only continue to elevate his stardom, and while there is a long time until he hangs them up, he’s definitely on a path that could leave him in the conversation as one of the best ever to do it.
We look back fondly on the day that the Vikings drafted Randy Moss, and with some tenure in purple, it’s hard to see a scenario in which the same feelings aren’t generated thinking about the time that Jefferson was made the pick.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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