Minnesota is thin at several positions on offense and defense. Wide receiver is one of those positions.
The Vikings don’t have a stellar wide receiver three. At least the team has two of the best wideouts in the NFL at the top of the depth chart, according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF ranked Adam Thielen the No. 9 receiver in the NFL, while giving Justin Jefferson the 10th overall ranking. Here’s what Anthony Treash of PFF wrote about Thielen:
“Thielen bounced back to top-tier form after an injury-hindered 2019 season. He came away from 2020 with an 87.4 PFF grade that ranked sixth among NFL wide receivers, marking the third time in the past four years he has finished inside the top 10 in that metric.”
Jefferson is coming off a rookie campaign where he tallied 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions. Here’s what Treash said about the now-second-year wideout:
“Jefferson maintains his No. 2 receiving grade rank against single coverage and jumps to first in yards per target (13.2) on such plays. The NFL landscape thought the days of Minnesota having a top receiving tandem were over when the franchise traded away Stefon Diggs in the 2020 offseason, but Jefferson is poised to keep the tradition going.”
Minnesota needs a lot to go its way in order to achieve a bounce-back season. The Vikings will most likely have to rely heavily on Jefferson and Thielen in order to maintain their offensive success. If those two stay healthy, though, the sky is the limit.