Tag: Justin Jefferson

One Vikings player lands in the top-50 in NFL merchandise sales

A former and current Viking are back-to-back on the list.

Justin Jefferson might have been the best receiver in football last season, and slowly but surely, the masses are catching on with his merchandise sales landing in the top-50 in the NFLPA’s recently released list.

The All-Pro receiver’s spectacular season was dwarfed by all of the Cooper Kupp and Ja’Marr Chase noise. Such is the case when your team doesn’t make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Jefferson was second in receiving yards behind Kupp, who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. The 22-year-old wideout hauled in 108 receptions for 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He also broke Odell Beckham Jr.’s previous record for the most receiving yards in his first two NFL seasons.

So Jefferson’s stock is clearly on the rise, and his No. 38 ranking on the merchandise list proves it.

An interesting tidbit to the story is the fact that he ranked right behind former Vikings star receiver Stefon Diggs, who the team traded away to the Buffalo Bills in 2020.

Running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Adam Thielen made the list in 2021, but Jefferson was the only Viking on there this time around. The meteoric rise of another star wideout has been something to behold in Minnesota.

Let’s just hope this one sticks around longer.

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Pair of LSU players selected in first round of way-too-early 2023 mock draft

Kayshon Boutte and B.J. Ojulari were selected in 247Sports’ initial 2023 mock.

The 2022 NFL draft is finally into the books, but it’s never to early for the Draft Media Industrial Complex to turn its attention to next year’s class of players.

LSU only had one player picked in the first round this year in [autotag]Derek Stingley Jr.[/autotag], who was taken third by the Houston Texans, but the Tigers had 10 players selected in total, not bad for a draft class that was deemed to be below the program’s standards.

Heading into next year’s class, LSU should have a stronger NFL contingent following the first season under new coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], and in the post-draft 2023 mock from 247Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer, two LSU players are taken in the first round.

The most notable is receiver [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], who could be set for one of the top pass-catching campaigns in college football. Brockermeyer has him heading to the Minnesota Vikings with the 14th pick, pairing him up with another former LSU wideout in [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag].

Kayshon Boutte’s true sophomore season ended early in 2021, but not before Boutte proved that his freshman season was not a fluke. Boutte looks ready to play in the NFL now and has all the tools to follow in the footsteps of some of the LSU wide receiver greats. Adam Thielen’s getting up there in age and this helps Minnesota replenish its receiving corps with a Bayou partner for Justin Jefferson.

Boutte was in for a wildly productive season before an injury ended his year after just six games. He still finished with more than 500 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the team.

Another player who could be poised for a breakout season is junior edge rusher [autotag]B.J. Ojulari[/autotag]. He has 11 sacks in two years with the Tigers, seven of which came in 2021. He should be a leader of the defense this season, especially with all of the losses it took during the offseason, and he’s heading to the Tennessee Titans at No. 19.

BJ Ojulari is an important piece to perhaps one of the deepest and most talented defensive lines west of Clemson. Ojulari has all the traits to dominate and is a difference-maker up front for the Tigers. The Titans are trying to win up front what with Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry, and Ojulari is another piece to throw in there and keep the energy young.

Former LSU cornerback Eli Ricks, who transferred to Alabama, is also projected as a first-round pick next year.

It’s hard to know exactly how high the ceiling is for this pair of Tigers players, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising for them to hear their names called during the first night of the draft this time next year.

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8 biggest NFL draft do-overs for the Eagles during the Howie Roseman era

8 biggest NFL draft do-overs for the Philadelphia Eagles during the Howie Roseman era

We’re just eight days away from the first round of the 2022 NFL draft kicking off and it’ll be a career-defining moment for Eagles GM Howie Roseman.

Roseman has been hit or miss in the first round, making some of his best moves in rounds three-seven or with undrafted free agents.

Philadelphia has two first-round picks scheduled for next Thursday night and it’ll be imperative for the organization’s top decision-makers to be all on the same page regarding the best player on the board.

The majority of Roseman’s criticism stems from poor decisions in the first or second round that have set a talented roster back years, and we’re taking a what-if approach to all the failed moves.

Here are eight of Philadelphia’s biggest NFL draft do-overs during the Howie Roseman era and the player that should have been selected.

Justin Jefferson admittedly ‘keeping sight’ on booming receiver market

Jefferson has the potential to reset the market, and he knows it

Minnesota Vikings star wideout Justin Jefferson was all smiles when speaking to the media on Tuesday afternoon.

Why wouldn’t he be?

Kevin O’Connell, the same man that oversaw the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams offense, is his new head coach. The weighted drama permeating throughout the organization within the previous regime is now gone. And the wide receiver market is on fire right now, as Jefferson enters the third year of his rookie contract.

The Miami Dolphins made Tyreek Hill the first-ever non-quarterback to receive a contract worth $30 million annually, and the Buffalo Bills extended Stefon Diggs two years early to the tune of four years and $104 million.

“I’m excited for them and excited for what I have in store. Just knowing some of the players that got signed again. Just knowing that I can have some more great years here with this team. So definitely will be looking into that and keeping sight on that,” said Jefferson, while flashing a smile.

A massive payday is imminent for Jefferson, whether it’s from the Vikings or another team desperately wanting to add one of the best receiving weapons in football to their arsenal.

It could be as early as next year for the negotiations to get underway between the Vikings and Jefferson’s representatives. Picking up the fifth-year option on his contract is obviously a no-brainer. But what happens if Jefferson refuses to wait and asks to receive his extension early?

“I ain’t been waiting since I got into the league. Everything has been straight off the jump,” said Jefferson. “It is what it is at this point. It’s part of it. You just got to do your own thing, follow your own path, follow your own process and when it comes, it comes.”

That day is coming, alright. The real question is if the Vikings will be ready for it when it does.

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Sights and sounds from Vikings return for voluntary offseason workouts

It’s back to the grind!

It’s back to the grind this week with the Minnesota Vikings players and coaches returning for voluntary offseason workouts.

So much has changed for the team in the offseason, including the hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the new general manager and Kevin O’Connell as the new head coach.

You could see it in the faces of the players as they returned to the team facility for the first time in two months.

The Vikings are in win-now mode, and they’re hopeful to finally have the leadership capable of helping them turn a corner after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

LSU Football history: The 20 all-time leading receivers

LSU has become synonymous with the wide receivers it produces in recent years.

We continue to look at LSU’s all-time history for the football program. We’ve already taken a look at the Tigers’ top passers and rushers in school history, and now we break down the list of receiving leaders.

LSU has produced quite a bit of receiving talent, especially in recent years. Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Jefferson and, most recently, Jamar Chase have become NFL stars at the position, but you may be surprised with some of the names near the top of the list.

Without further ado, here are the Tigers’ all-time statistical leaders when it comes to receiving.

Massive Stefon Diggs contract means only good things for Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson is a happy man right now

Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson must have been grinning from ear to ear after learning of Stefon Diggs’ massive contract extension with the Buffalo Bills. It just reinforced what he already knew: He’s getting paid when his contract is up.

On Wednesday morning, it was reported that Diggs had signed a four-year, $104 million extension with $70 million guaranteed with the Bills. That essentially locks the 28-year-old former Viking up as quarterback Josh Allen’s primary receiving target for the foreseeable future.

But even that contract paled in comparison to the record-breaking Tyreek Hill deal with the Miami Dolphins back in March. “The Cheetah” became the first non-quarterback to make $30 million annually after receiving a four-year, $120 million extension with $72.2 million guaranteed.

Jefferson’s agent might not even have to lift a finger with the market doing his job for him. If two elite receivers on the backend of their 20’s can command that much money on the market, imagine what an elite receiver entering the prime years of his career could command.

Whew.

Jefferson might need a life vest to tread the ocean of cash that’ll rain down once he’s done with his rookie deal. The market is shaping up for him to literally be throwing money around like a Fat Joe music video.

And do you want to know the scariest part, especially for the one writing the check? The market could get even bigger.

DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel are all in line for massive extensions. Could we get to a place where Jefferson is making close to $35 million annually on another record-breaking contract?

Maybe.

But calm down, Vikings fans. There’s no need to get your blood pressure soaring just yet. Jefferson will be in the third year of his deal in 2022, and the team will obviously pick up the fifth-year option on his contract down the line as well. But the exploratory negotiations could begin as early as 2023 in an effort to hammer out something long-term.

Keep in mind, the team will also be coming back to the table with quarterback Kirk Cousins around that time as well. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was sort of let off the hook this season in kicking the same can down the road in an effort to keep the same roster from his predecessor mostly intact.

But that won’t always be the case, and you can’t expect a young, emerging superstar like Jefferson to accept a team-friendly deal on his first major extension. An argument could already be made that Jefferson is the best receiver in the league, and in the coming years, that argument could become more universal.

In only his second season, he came within 17 yards of breaking Randy Moss’ single-season franchise receiving yards record. And he’s already broken the record set by Odell Beckham Jr. for the most receiving yards in his first two NFL seasons.

The next record to be broken is at the negotiating table. There are a lot of really good receivers out there, but Jefferson could be a generational talent. If the Vikings can’t fork over the hefty price it would take to keep him, well, just look at the Kansas City Chiefs to see how that scenario ultimately played out.

A peace sign and Hill was out in Kansas City.

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The best three-star recruits signed by LSU in recent years

We take a look at some three-star recruits blew away expectations at LSU.

It’s always the four and five stars that get the love in recruiting. It’s those uber-talented guys that are most likely to lead teams to the promised land and hear their name called first overall on draft night.

But more often than not, a class is not going to be consist of just blue-chip recruits. There will always be three-stars in there, too.

Some of these guys make it because the school missed on a bigger target. Some are diamonds in the rough a coach takes a gamble on because they think the talent is there.

As you get deeper and deeper into the recruiting pool each year, it becomes more difficult to separate players. It’s easy to spot a freak pass rusher or a wide receiver who catches everything. But the closer we get to the mean, the obvious traits are fewer and farther between.

Over the years, LSU has found its fair share of three-stars. Some of these guys ended up being solid contributors. Others ended up being first-round picks, and some even have been Pro Bowlers.

These players are critical to rounding out a recruiting class. To compete in the SEC, you have to hit on quite a few. Let’s take a look at which gambles paid off for LSU.

Justin Jefferson fails to crack Jalen Ramsey’s top-five receivers

Justin Jefferson won’t like this.

If you ask some people, Justin Jefferson might be the best receiver in the NFL right now. But if you ask Los Angeles Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is arguably the best at his position, Jefferson doesn’t even crack the top-five.

Ouch.

That was the feeling as Ramsey named off six receivers not named Jefferson that he’d fit into his top-five, during an appearance on the Pivot Podcast. So the Vikings’ All-Pro receiver still missed the cut even when given a little leeway for a sixth spot.

Double ouch.

The names that made the list were Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel, Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs.

Ramsey made sure to preface the list by saying he was only choosing players he’d played against.

Maybe he forgot that Jefferson had eight receptions for 116 yards against the Rams in Week 16. There’s also the fact that Jefferson surpassed Beckham for the most receiving yards ever for a receiver in his first two years in the league. He also came within 17 yards of breaking legendary Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss’ single-season franchise receiving yards record.

But to be fair, Jefferson only snagged three catches for 24 yards on five targets when lined up across from Ramsey.

So the numbers didn’t necessarily pop off the stat sheet when the two went head-to-head. It’s still hard to deny Jefferson a spot in the top-five considering he finished the 2021 season with 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. And to think, he’s not even in his prime yet as a player.

It could be a completely different story the next time the two players run into one another.

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Turner reflects on the best players he played against during his Clemson career

Former Clemson safety Nolan Turner was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Tiger running back Darien Rencher. Turned was asked to name some of the best players, in his opinion, that he played against during his Clemson …

Former Clemson safety Nolan Turner was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Tiger running back Darien Rencher.

Turned was asked to name some of the best players, in his opinion, that he played against during his Clemson career (2016-21).

The 2020 All-American and two-year team captain singled out a few different groups of players, including quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson from the LSU team that beat Clemson in the 2019 national title game; wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs from the Alabama team that Clemson beat in the 2018 national title game; and quarterback Justin Fields and wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave from the Ohio State teams that Clemson played in 2019 and 2020.

“The first three that come to mind – well, some of them are a group, you know; I might put them in groups – number one was Ja’Marr, Justin and Joe, them three as a unit. I’ll use that as one,” Turner said. “And then you run it back to 2018, and they (Alabama) got Jeudy, Waddle, DeVonta and Ruggs. That’s the other group. You see speed and you see talented guys, and then you turn on this tape and it’s a little bit different. Guys stand out a little bit more, look a little bit faster, and you know you’re in for it. So, those two are definitely the biggest that stand out. But some of those Ohio State teams that we played … Justin Fields, a heck of a quarterback, heck of a football player, and especially those receivers they had, too, with Garrett Wilson, Olave. Man, they’re some ballers.”

You can watch Rencher’s full interview with Turner on the latest episode of The Players Club Podcast below:

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