Minnesota Vikings select Justin Jefferson in 2020 NFL Draft: Grading the pick

The Minnesota Vikings went with Justin Jefferson with their first pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Here’s a look at how the pick will help in 2020.

In the first of two selections in the first round of Thursday night’s opening round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings addressed the offensive side of the ball. In the opening round of the draft, which will wrap up on Saturday, the Vikings used their first of two picks in the latter portion of the first round to select LSU’s Justin Jefferson at No. 22 overall.

There’s no arguing that Minnesota has holes to fill on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but addressing the wide receiver spot was one that many thought the Vikings would key in on early on in the draft. And they did just that with their first pick on Thursday.

With Minnesota trading away No. 1 wide receiver target Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills earlier on this offseason, the Vikings needed to add a wideout to add to the mix alongside Adam Thielen. After a few receiver targets fell a bit in the first round on Thursday, that resulted in Jefferson falling to the early 20s while landing with the purple and gold.

Jefferson will give Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota offense another target in the passing game and provides the Vikings with an affordable piece on the outside of the field for at least the next few seasons.

Jefferson wrapped up his three-year career at LSU in 2019, tallying career totals of 165 receptions for 2,415 yards and 24 touchdowns. In his senior season alone, he recorded 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 total touchdowns for the Tigers.

Jefferson is more of a slot receiver option that could counter the likes of Thielen within the Vikings offense. He has a big frame, is a great route-runner and can move all around the field, a few valuable assets for Minnesota to incorporate into things offensively.

Many thought the Vikings should have traded up earlier in the first round to try and grab the likes of CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy, but they still ended up with a solid target and fill a large hole on offense with the addition of Jefferson. Filling that need alone in the first round is a reason why this pick is graded an A for Minnesota.

Although the Vikings didn’t ultimately end up moving out of the No. 22 spot in the opening round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, they still ended up grabbing a stud-potential wide receiver that will fit in nicely into what head coach Mike Zimmer will try to establish in his offense during the 2020 campaign and in the coming seasons.