Getty The Vikings signed Colorado State wide receiver Warren Jackson on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021.
The Minnesota Vikings will soon have a receiver who will tower over the rest of the group at training camp.
On Monday, Minnesota signed wide receiver Warren Jackson, a 6-foot-6 undrafted rookie out of Colorado State who was the tallest wideout in his draft class.
Jackson, who was touted as one of the better wide receivers at his size, is an inch taller than famed Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson.
Jackson, however, has a much steeper hill to climb to make an NFL roster as an undrafted rookie who the Denver Broncos recently cut on Aug. 7.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
Jackson’s Background
In his third career college game as a true freshman, Jackson splashed into the national spotlight, catching a pair of touchdowns against powerhouse Alabama.
A menace in the end zone, Jackson made a mockery of opposing cornerbacks with his size on jump balls especially.
Warren Jackson comes up with the CRAZY TD catch for #ColoradoState! #CSUvsBama
Jackson emerged his junior year, catching 77 passes for 1,119 yards and eight touchdowns. He opted out of his highly anticipated senior season, where he garnered the Preseason All-Mountain West Player of the Year award and landed the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
A college teammate of Bisi Johnson, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury on July 31, Jackson could become the latest Rams wide receiver to outshine expectations as a mid-tier Division I wide receiver factory.
Former teammate Preston Williams went undrafted in 2019 and became a Week 1 starter for the Miami Dolphins.
Jackson won’t jump to starting status with the Vikings, however, he could make a case for a roster spot.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
Jackson Will Need to Be More Aggressive
Jackson had his way with college corners by manhandling his competition at the line of scrimmage. He’ll have a tougher time doing that in the NFL at 220 pounds on his frame.
Unlike Johnson, Jackson doesn’t have speed to rely on. He ran and 4.67 40-yard dash and has the trajectory to be a size option on the outside. Attacking the ball and the secondary are his best bet to winning battles.
College Scouting Metrics found Jackson to look a lot like Kenny Golladay on film. Here’s their review of his game film:
He reminds me a lot of Kenny Golladay. I didn’t think Golladay had ‘it’ for the NFL when I watched/studied him at Northern Illinois. I knew he had the body and athleticism, but I thought he played too finesse and had lacked the aggressiveness to ever be a dominating NFL WR.
I saw him his rookie training camp, I knew I was wrong. Golladay cranked up his game at the next level and became a star.
If Jackson can tune into his aggression and begin to bulk up, he could warrant a roster spot.
However, the Vikings taking a shot on Jackson seems peculiar.
The Broncos hired the Vikings’ best two talent evaluators in George Patton and manager of player personnel/college scouting Kelly Kleine. Denver deemed Jackson wasn’t ready to compete in training camp meanwhile, Rick Spielman and Minnesota appear ready to take a chance on him.
We’ll see how it goes.