Vikings Evidently Made an All-Millennium Decision
It’s the only slow spot on the NFL calendar — the here and now — so NFL.com has time to publish items like the “All-Millennium” list.
NFL.com has decided that one of the Vikings’ decisions is one of the millennium’s best. Minnesota evidently got it right.
Eric Edholm from that site did so this week, examining the best valued wide receiver draft choices since 2000.
And leading the way? Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Justin Jefferson Leads the Way as NFL.com’s All-Millennium WR Value
Edholm sized up the best draft decisions per wide receiver value over the last 25 years, and Jefferson checked in at No. 1 on his list.
He wrote, “Yes, he was a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, but Jefferson was the fifth receiver taken — and he’s arguably the best wideout in the game today.”
“That class was loaded at the position (CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, Jerry Jeudy and others), but Jefferson stands alone. Can you imagine if the Eagles had taken Jefferson instead of Jalen Reagor?”
Ironically, the Vikings also employed Reagor in 2022, though the experiment was short-lived.
Edholm continued, “Jefferson’s total body of work doesn’t quite stack up, as several other receivers in this era have more catches and yards, but Jefferson is on a historic pace to start his career — in spite of some up-and-down QB play in Minnesota.”
“Through 77 games, Jefferson is the NFL’s current all-time leader in receiving yards per game at a stunning 96.5, which is nine yards better than No. 2 (Ja’Marr Chase) and he’s well ahead of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s production his first five NFL seasons.”
NFL.com’s Criteria
How did NFL.com cook up the criteria?
This was the path, according to Edholm: “This offseason I am taking a position-by-position look at the best NFL draft values of the millennium: In short, which teams received the most bang for their draft-pick buck? Higher draft picks were not dismissed for this exercise, but I tended to side with the highest-achieving lower selections.”
“Extra weight was also given to longevity and the value those players provided for the teams that drafted them. Wide receiver proved to be one of the tougher positions to evaluate given the breadth of talent and production at this spot. In close comparisons, I leaned toward lower picks who vastly outplayed their draft status but who also stacked up favorably against their elite contemporaries.”
The Draft Pick That Earned All-Millennium Praise
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson just made sense for a list like NFL.com’s Eric Edholm — the top value draft pick at wide receiver over the last 25 years.
Justin Jefferson … a Fair Choice
While Vikings fans will vehemently agree with Jefferson at No. 1 on the NFL.com list, he also deserves the recognition from a national perspective. He has electrified every inch of the sport since joining the purple team, holding virtually every receiving yards record involving “a player’s first __ years” or “a player’s first __ games.”
Based on his production five years down the road, he should’ve been a Top 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, instead sliding to the Vikings at No. 22.
The selection changed franchise history.
Winning the Stefon Diggs Trade
It’s also worth noting that Jefferson joined the Vikings at a controversial and chaotic time. Ex-general manager Rick Spielman had just divorced Stefon Diggs, sending him to the Buffalo Bills for the pick that would later fetch Jefferson, along with a draft choice that would turn into safety Camryn Bynum.
The Bills received Diggs and cornerback Dane Jackson.
Folks debated “who won the trade?” for years. Yet, five years removed, it’s rather clear that the Vikings were victorious, and anyone who might say otherwise just doesn’t follow the NFL too closely.
Tyreek Hill at No. 3
Edholm named-dropped Tyreek Hill as his third-best value wideout of the millennium, a fair choice.
He explained, “Hill was dismissed from Oklahoma State in 2014 following his arrest on domestic violence charges and entered the draft in 2016 after a year at West Alabama. The Chiefs took a chance on Hill, and he rewarded them with stunning production as a receiver, returner and runner.”
“He was a major factor in the Chiefs winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years at the end of the 2019 season. After six mostly brilliant seasons, the Chiefs dealt Hill to Miami, where he put up back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons.”
Fun fact. Hill grew up as a fan of the Vikings.
Edholdm added, “While his time in Kansas City was also marked by off-field issues, the trade contributed to the Chiefs landing Trent McDuffie, one of the best corners in the NFL, and helped position them to draft Rashee Rice and others, keeping the franchise close to the top of the league’s food chain since the deal went down.”
Jefferson’s Vikings get the 2025 regular season underway in less than 11 weeks.
More Good News for the Vikings Rolls In
You must be logged in to post a comment.