Players Who Fit Vikings' Mold

Summary
At 23, Van Jefferson is an older WR prospect. He lacks eye-popping production but had his best game against top competition (8 catches for 73 yards and 2 TDs against LSU). He does a good job of creating separation through nuanced route running with good body alignment, foot control, and hand usage. He primarily lined up on the line of scrimmage and routinely beat press. He shows the ability to stack aggressive corners, but lacks the long speed to separate deep against patient players. He projects best as a separating slot receiver but could play outside in a pinch, showing acumen on deep comebacks and back shoulder fades. Jefferson struggles to catch outside his frame and does not consistently win 50/50 balls. He has the ability to shield the ball with his body and withstand contact once he has control. Jefferson has good field vision to maximize his after catch yardage but lacks the twitch/strength to make defenders miss and is therefore limited in after catch ability. Not typically used as a screen/gadget player. In the run game, Jefferson primarily used decoy routes/stalk blocking. He could get lazy when the ball didn’t go his way. When the play design is run towards him, he is very aggressive attacking and latching on to players as a blocker. His punch timing hands when blocking could use improvement. Jefferson demonstrates high football intelligence. He displays good spatial awareness, showed good timing, and recognizes defensive tendencies. He is a high-energy player who is quick to congratulate teammates and celebrate his own successes.

Vikings Fit
For the Vikings’, I think they could use Jefferson’s versatility and play him at X and the slot. Jefferson played almost exclusively on the line of scrimmage at Florida. When he was to a single or two receiver side, he was outside and on the line. That’s typically where an X receiver will align. The Gators also ran a lot of 3×1 receiver sets, and when Jefferson was on the trips side, he was typically the middle receiver of the three and lined up on the line of scrimmage.

As an outside receiver, Jefferson is somewhat limited because he does not threaten corners over the top with his deep speed. It’s possible to work with this, because through his route running Jefferson shows the ability to force corners to respect the deep route, and that opens up comebacks and back shoulder fades. He’s not going to bust out 40+ yard TDs, but will consistently win in the intermediate range.

As a slot, which I think is his best role, I would actually put Jefferson on the line of scrimmage. He clearly showed the ability to beat press, and provides you more options from the slot. His route running savvy will allow him to win going inside or outside, and he also showed the ability to win vertically from the slot. Typically seam routes are shorter routes than outside vertical routes and Jefferson has a better chance to win those if the CB is concerned with him breaking his route underneath.

Jefferson needs to improve his catching ability. This may also limit his ability to play on the outside. However, I believe that his ability to create separation is good enough that it may mitigate some of his hands issues early on. If he can learn to catch outside of his frame and in contested situations, he can become a really good receiver.

Van Jefferson would fit as a receiver for the Vikings because they need a player alongside Adam Thielen who can beat press and man coverage. Jefferson will be able to do that immediately as he enters the NFL. He lacks after the catch ability, but should immediately contribute as a receiver on short and intermediate routes, and could be a third-down chain mover. On the high end of his ability, he could turn into a reliable slot option that always seems to be open, like a Jarvis Landry (he’s more athletic than Landry) or Julian Edleman. At the very least, you’re getting a smart and technically sound receiver who shows toughness.