Former LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson joined some elite company on Sunday when he went over 1,000 yards receiving as a rookie.
Jefferson, selected No. 22 overall in the 2020 NFL draft, caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Minnesota Vikings’ 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After that performance, Jefferson now has 61 receptions for 1,039 yards and seven touchdowns. The Vikings still have four games to play in the 2020 season.
Jefferson joined the legendary Randy Moss as the only rookie receivers for Minnesota to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.
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Jefferson is also just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to go over 1,000 yards in his first 12 career games, joining Moss, Odell Beckham Jr., Anquan Boldin and Marques Colston, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
As a junior for LSU in 2019, Jefferson had 111 receptions for 1,540 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Jefferson’s play is a big reason why the Vikings currently have the NFC’s final playoff spot.
Justin Jefferson is SPECIAL.
He joins Randy Moss as the only Vikings rookies with 1K yards receiving đź‘Ź @JJettas2 @RandyMoss pic.twitter.com/M3EKf3RncQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 6, 2020
Most rec yds by a rookie WR in his first 12 games in NFL history:
Odell Beckham (2014) – 1,305 rec yds
Justin Jefferson (2020) – 1,039 rec yds
Anquan Boldin (2003) – 1,032 rec yds
Randy Moss (1998) – 1,014 rec ydsBeckham, Boldin & Moss each won Offensive Rookie of the Year
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) December 6, 2020
#Vikings WR Justin Jefferson's go-ahead TD makes him just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to top 1,000 receiving yards in his first 12 career games.
The others: Odell Beckham Jr., Marques Colston, Anquan Boldin and Randy Moss. Good company.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2020
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