Getty Wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after a penalty against the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game in January 2023.
For the Minnesota Vikings offense to flourish for many years to come, the Vikings need to find Justin Jefferson a running mate that’s going to make defenses pay when they double cover Jefferson.
Enter USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) lead draft analyst Mike Renner projected the Vikings to select Addison with the 23rd overall pick in the upcoming draft, calling him a “dream scenario” for Minnesota.
“Addison is a dream scenario for the Vikings. He’s not just a separator, but also one who will make you pay down the football field if you tilt your safeties toward Justin Jefferson. He won the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s top receiver, in 2021 and tallied 25 touchdowns over the past two seasons,” Renner wrote.
Renner added that, due to Addison’s NFL readiness and fully developed route tree, his pairing alongside Jefferson would give the Vikings a “scary” wide receiver duo for at least the next five seasons.
Jordan Addison Fits the Mold of Hall of Fame, Super-Bowl WRs
At 6-feet, 175 pounds, Addison’s biggest critique is whether he can handle the physicality in the NFL — a similar poking point that Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith saw coming out of college.
Smith fared well in his rookie season as the team’s primary outside receiver, tallying 916 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 64 receptions. But paired with A.J. Brown this season, the entire Eagles offense soared.
Brown’s arrival allowed Smith to play more in the slot as both receivers enjoyed career years. They elevated Jalen Hurts to a serious MVP contender and helped Philadelphia make the Super Bowl after going 9-8 the previous season.
Addison won the Biletnikoff the year after Smith for his sophomore performance at Pitt. In 2021, Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards with 18 total touchdowns in 14 games, earning first-team All-American honors as college football’s top wide receiver that season.
Addison was primarily an outside receiver at Pitt but took on a slot role after transferring to USC for his junior season. He didn’t post the same gaudy stats but still posted 875 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games while dealing with an ankle injury late in the year. He still excelled against Pac-12 competition, posting four 100-yard outings, including seven catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns against Stanford and an 11-catch, 178-yard game against No. 21 UCLA.
The 33rd Team, a football think tank made of former coaches, executives and players, gave a gleaming review of Addison, comparing him to Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.
From The 33rd Team:
Addison has good height but has a slender frame without much build on it. He is a good athlete with quickness and speed to his game that not many others possess in this class. His quickness allows him to get in and out of his routes and release off the line. Addison can run away from defenders with the ball in his hands as well as get over the top of them on vertical routes.
He is a natural hands catcher, not allowing the ball to get in on his body. He does lack ideal strength and struggles to get off press coverage and fight for 50/50 balls. He can play both inside and outside with good quickness to separate and release and very good speed to run by defenders on the outside. For Jordan Addison, it is his hands, speed, and quickness, along with his route-running ability that is going to make teams fall in love.
Jordan Addison Would Be the Ideal Running Mate for Justin Jefferson
Every Batman needs his Robin; that was evidenced by the Eagles’ tandem of Smith and Brown this past season.
And while the Harrison comparison may be a bit lofty for Addison, PFF made a more modest comparison for the USC star — Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders was an undersized receiver with a fully developed route tree that allowed him to line up everywhere on the field. Sanders was the needed lightning to complement the thunderous Demaryius Thomas who was the size threat on the outside in their days with the Denver Broncos.
But besides winning a Super Bowl with Denver, Sanders made two other Super Bowl appearances. He was an immediate contributor for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season in 2010 and was a vital addition to the San Francisco 49ers in their 2019 run to the title game.
The true dream scenario is to just draft another Jefferson or bonafide No. 1 wide receiver. However, those players are bigger gambles in the draft.
Instead, adding Addison, who has an arsenal of routes polished and ready for the pros, alongside Jefferson would give the Vikings a tremendous 1-2 punch for the next five seasons with Addison on a rookie deal.