The Minnesota Vikings’ choice to pick out extensive receiver Jordan Addison with the No. 23 decide within the 2023 NFL Draft was noteworthy for a number of causes. Not solely did the Vikings have already got a celebrity wideout in Justin Jefferson, however it pointed to an apparent dedication to airing it out offensively.
And whereas spending a first-round decide at a place the place a crew presently has a star can certainly result in combined emotions, Addison lately mentioned it was the alternative when he arrived and started working with Jefferson. Throughout an interview with Metro Sport, Addison heaped reward on his teammate, calling the 25-year-old a “humble celebrity.”
“A extremely humble celebrity. Simply coming in and simply serving to me,” Addison mentioned. “[Jefferson] was a high receiver they usually drafted one other first-round receiver, so not lots of people would take that properly, however I really feel like he did an excellent job of teaching me up and ensuring I used to be ready.”
Addison stepped up in a giant means in the course of the 2023 NFL season, catching 70-of-108 targets that got here his means for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns. Nevertheless, his manufacturing was magnified as a rookie much more than regular, as Jefferson performed in simply 10 regular-season video games attributable to harm.
Whereas Jefferson nonetheless totaled 68 catches for 1,074 yards and 5 scores, Addison was thrust into the highlight because the crew’s high receiver in his teammate’s absence and helped the Vikings’ passing recreation proceed to provide at a excessive degree even with one of many league’s most dominant pass-catchers lacking time.