Getty Former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen
The hottest topic for the Minnesota Vikings’ upcoming draft boiled over onto Twitter as several Vikings stars and the team’s official account took issue with a fan’s commentary.
Rick Sosa, host of The Purple Code podcast, offered his take on the recent rise in rumors that the Vikings will take a quarterback in the first round, tweeting that Minnesota has “no quality WRs” beyond Justin Jefferson and should address other positions that require immediate reinforcements over drafting a quarterback of the future.
The Vikings have no quality WRs beyond Jefferson, no quality CBs beyond Murphy, are thin at LB and iOL, have only 5 picks.. but somehow they should draft a QB at 23 or move up to draft one because some don’t like Kirk Cousins LOL #Skol
K.J. Osborn replied to Sosa’s tweet, calling out Sosa by largely killing him with kindness: “Hey Rick, sorry to bother ya! Just taking some notes here. Can you please describe your definition of ‘quality’ for me. Just curious.”
Adam Thielen came to Osborn’s defense, tweeting “@KJ_Osborn is a beast and has proved it time and time again in big moments! Can’t wait to see you ball this year brotha!”
@athielen19 My dawg, likewise! 🫡
Love ya one-nine!
The Vikings official Twitter even chimed in, sharing a video of Osborn celebrating his walk-off overtime game-winning touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Sosa’s point is valid. There are positions lacking depth that could benefit from a Day 1 starter acquired in the draft.
However, it does come as a slight to several of the team’s current players who haven’t been entrusted with those duties like Osborn. Osborn scored four touchdowns in five games while Thielen was out due to injury in 2021 and also shined last season, including a 10-catch, 157-yard performance in the comeback victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Twitter back-and-forth has caused a frenzy among Vikings fans on the platform as more of the communities biggest names and even several other Vikings have shared their thoughts on the hottest topic approaching the draft on April 27.
We’ve spared some of the more baseless arguments that attack both sides and instead shared a pair of player reactions below.
Josh Metellus & Vikings Fans React
Reacting to Sosa posting Osborn’s 2022 stat line he compiled as WR3, Vikings Spin made the point that not only must Osborn assume WR2 duties but potentially the WR1 role if Jefferson were to be injured.
Many fans echoed sentiments on both sides regarding whether Osborn and the rest of the wide receiver room are capable of filling the void left by Thielen.
Vikings safety Josh Metellus, who was named team captain late in the season, sided with Osborn.
“Smh… No faith in our guys from the outside. But all the faith in the world from the locker room that our guys get the job done at a ‘quality’ level,” Metellus said, referring to Sosa saying there are no quality receivers beyond Jefferson.
Promising Vikings CB Akayleb Evans Speaks Up for His Teammates
An even larger hole in the roster lies at cornerback, where all three starters in Patrick Peterson (signed with Pittsburgh Steelers), Duke Shelley (signed with Las Vegas Raiders) and Chandon Sullivan (still a free agent) departed this offseason.
The Vikings acquired prized free agent Byron Murphy Jr., however, the rest of the room is inexperienced with Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. the only corners who saw the field before their rookie seasons ended early due to injury.
Evans took issue with Sosa’s tweet as well, which prompted Sosa to extend an invitation to talk on Sosa’s podcast, which he declined.
“I’ll be a Packers fan before I do that,” Evans tweeted.