The Minnesota Vikings got tremendous value in the 2020 NFL draft when they selected wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall pick. His peers and ESPN both ranked him as the second-best player in the National Football League.
Touchdown Wire released their final 25 players in their rankings and Jefferson once again ranked second. This should be no surprise considering how great Jefferson has been and Doug Farrar said it best in his write-up.
The Vikings selected Jefferson with the 22nd pick in the 2020 draft out of LSU, and through his first three seasons, Jefferson ranks first all-time in targets (476), receptions (324), and receiving yards (4,825). That’s throughout pro football history, which is pretty good.
There were those who believed that when Jefferson came out of college, he would be limited to a slot role in the NFL. That’s not the way things turned out — last season, Jefferson caught 46 passes on 73 outside targets for 530 yards, 345 air yards, and three touchdowns. Jefferson didn’t have as many outside targets as many of the players on this list, but the impact of those plays was undeniable.
Jefferson’s combination of route correctness, speed off the snap, and physical geometry (how he uses his body to create short-area openings) is unparalleled, and makes him the NFL’s toughest receiver to cover on a consistent basis.
Jefferson is going to continue terrorizing defenses for years.
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