A Viking Has Transformed His Body
A folkloric chapter in Minnesota Vikings history is the Three Deep wide receiver unit from the 1998 season, headlined by rookie Randy Moss. He was flanked by Hall of Famer Cris Carter and former 1,000-yard receiver Jake Reed.
A Viking Has Transformed His Body
Now the club employs Justin Jefferson, arguably the best in the business among pass-catchers. His wingman in an elite one-two punch is Jordan Addison. To have a true modern Three Deep, however, a third guy has to step up.
Last season, Jalen Nailor delivered 414 receiving yards and six touchdowns. A decent start. He is about to enter a crucial year for his career trajectory, as he is in the final year of his rookie deal. A receiver with eye-opening speed on the football field despite running an underwhelming 40-yard dash ahead of his draft, he suddenly looks like a changed man in OTAs.
Reporters couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw him take the field for the first time last month, and his body transformation has created some buzz around the fourth-year weapon.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic noted last week that “Nailor morphed into a stouter receiver this offseason,” and other local media members joined his hype train.
For example, there’s Skor North’s Judd Zulgad, who said: “He’s also switched his body. He is bigger, stronger, he has definitely gained weight. Not fat, muscle. … When you first see him, you won’t recognize him.”
Or consider Will Ragatz’s words over at Si.com: “Nailor looks like a player to keep an eye on this year. He’s in a contract year, he has a new number (83 is out, 1 is in), and he appears to have put on some muscle this offseason. He’ll be an important part of the Vikings’ offense as their No. 3 wide receiver, and he might be needed as the No. 2 for a few games if Jordan Addison ends up receiving a league suspension.”
Nailor entered the league in 2022. The sixth-rounder clinched a roster spot but was barely in the rotation in his debut season. Later in the year, in a horrendous outing at Lambeau Field, he was the lone bright spot and scored a touchdown.
Year two was supposed to be his breakout season, but a pair of soft tissue injuries followed by a concussion limited his output, and he only caught three passes. That brings us to 2024, and folks thought his days with the franchise might be numbered, while others repeated the breakout talker.
The latter group was correct. Helped by an injured Addison early in the season and T.J. Hockenson’s absence, Nailor emerged as a productive WR3. His numbers dipped in the second half of the year, but he had a couple of big outings to close the season.
In 2025, Addison might draw a suspension from his car-related incident dating back to last summer, which could open the door for Nailor to play more snaps.
It’s noteworthy, though, that the Vikings have invested in the receiver depth, signing Rondale Moore in free agency and adding Tai Felton in the draft. While Moore is still recovering from a nasty knee injury suffered almost a year ago, Felton is a sneaky wildcard. A third-rounder, Felton is built like Nailor prior to his transformation and has comparable speed, too. It remains to be seen how early, if at all, he is ready to compete for the WR3 role.
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota’s offensive mastermind, was asked about the WR room if Addison were to miss some time because of his suspension. He said in April: “I think we basically went through that last year with Jordan [missing games],” O’Connell noted. “We essentially, for two and a half games, didn’t have him, and we were able to beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans with Jalen Nailor playing huge roles in those games. Jalen caught a touchdown in the second half of the opener against the Giants [without Addison].”
It’s become clear over the years that O’Connell trusts the former Michigan State Spartan.
“I think Speedy, what we were always hoping for was to see what it looked like when he was able to stay healthy. He was able to do that, and I think he learned over the course of the season the different, unique ways that Justin gets defended has a direct impact on how he needs to prepare to play.”
Another big year from Nailor would earn him a massive paycheck in nine months. He needs to show that he can be a WR2 in the NFL, or at least an explosive WR3, to make some decent money.
Nailor is 26 years old. We’ll have to wait and see if the added weight will make a difference.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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