Vikings get strong grade for Addison selection

@"purplefaithful" said: 23 was no mans land in terms of a 1st rd pick

The WR room wasn't empty after JJ b4 this pick, but it was question marks and slim pickens.

IMO, not enough juice in KJO and Nailer to make DC's fearful or change how they defend JJ with AT gone. 

Addison may truly put some fear out there. Maybe the Vikings now got their next generation of 3 deep?

 MY frustration as a fan today is not the Addison pick - I actually like it. My frustration is lack of a 2nd rd pick for D. 

Dalton Kincaid could have been our pick instead of Hockenson and Hockenson's salary. 

I also thought that could have been incredibly interesting to have Hockenson and Kincaid on the same team.  Defend that lol. 

@"AGRforever" said:

@"purplefaithful" said: 23 was no mans land in terms of a 1st rd pick

The WR room wasn't empty after JJ b4 this pick, but it was question marks and slim pickens.

IMO, not enough juice in KJO and Nailer to make DC's fearful or change how they defend JJ with AT gone. 

Addison may truly put some fear out there. Maybe the Vikings now got their next generation of 3 deep?

 MY frustration as a fan today is not the Addison pick - I actually like it. My frustration is lack of a 2nd rd pick for D. 

Dalton Kincaid could have been our pick instead of Hockenson and Hockenson's salary. 

I also thought that could have been incredibly interesting to have Hockenson and Kincaid on the same team.  Defend that lol. 

@"JR44" said: I watched most USC games last year, great route runner, plays bigger than he is, but he didn't show up in the big moments of games and couldn't stay on the field.  This was a good pick for a team like the Chiefs who are already there, but for a team with so many holes on defense and no plan at QB for the future, I thought this was a brutal pick.  I am far removed from that generation, but his choice of draft wear would have been enough for me to pass.  With Osborne and Nailor this was a position we could have addressed later and possibly gotten a guy with better metrics and a larger ceiling.  

His role at USC was a little funny in some ways since it was his first opportunity to play outside as a WR. He did it well but agree it wasn't like he was blowing the doors off. His Pitt tape was phenomenal though, so that is still worth something. 

I personally like the pick, its the proverbial keeping it in the fairway. In an ideal world they were hoping to move up for Richardson or Stroud but no way were they going to get into the top 4 after they explored the prices of a move like that. From there the board fell pretty well and with a run at WR they couldn't move back too far or they'd lose both Addison or Banks who would have been the next man on their board. 

WR2 has quickly become a premium position in the NFL and is even more important for a team like MN who is going to pay Jefferson at the top of the WR market. There were plenty of instances last year where teams lined up daring the Vikings to have Thielen beat them and the offense stalled out. This likely eliminates that issue since Addison's floor is likely a mid-range WR2. Compared to some other WRs on the board I felt Addison was likely their second WR choice after JSN. Would have considered Johnson as well but more so if they have the opportunity to move back and the WR run was a bit later. 

Patience.  Our second round pick is essentially Hockenson.  We have a first and second rounder from last year (both on the D side) that have a year of healing and/or seasoning.  This is already a good draft.  The only thing pissed away were the draft picks for Reagor.  Flush them, they're gone.

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"JR44" said: I watched most USC games last year, great route runner, plays bigger than he is, but he didn't show up in the big moments of games and couldn't stay on the field.  This was a good pick for a team like the Chiefs who are already there, but for a team with so many holes on defense and no plan at QB for the future, I thought this was a brutal pick.  I am far removed from that generation, but his choice of draft wear would have been enough for me to pass.  With Osborne and Nailor this was a position we could have addressed later and possibly gotten a guy with better metrics and a larger ceiling.  

His role at USC was a little funny in some ways since it was his first opportunity to play outside as a WR. He did it well but agree it wasn't like he was blowing the doors off. His Pitt tape was phenomenal though, so that is still worth something. 

I personally like the pick, its the proverbial keeping it in the fairway. In an ideal world they were hoping to move up for Richardson or Stroud but no way were they going to get into the top 4 after they explored the prices of a move like that. From there the board fell pretty well and with a run at WR they couldn't move back too far or they'd lose both Addison or Banks who would have been the next man on their board. 

WR2 has quickly become a premium position in the NFL and is even more important for a team like MN who is going to pay Jefferson at the top of the WR market. There were plenty of instances last year where teams lined up daring the Vikings to have Thielen beat them and the offense stalled out. This likely eliminates that issue since Addison's floor is likely a mid-range WR2. Compared to some other WRs on the board I felt Addison was likely their second WR choice after JSN. Would have considered Johnson as well but more so if they have the opportunity to move back and the WR run was a bit later. 

@"Montana Tom" said: Patience.  Our second round pick is essentially Hockenson.  We have a first and second rounder from last year (both on the D side) that have a year of healing and/or seasoning.  This is already a good draft.  The only thing pissed away were the draft picks for Reagor.  Flush them, they're gone.

If Hockenson is our 2nd round pick, then Akayleb Evans is also part of this draft.  Kwesi traded this year's 4 to get him last year.  And Kwesi got back the Reagor trade too: 2023 7th from SF and 2024 5th from KC.  

@"Montana Tom" said: Patience.  Our second round pick is essentially Hockenson.  We have a first and second rounder from last year (both on the D side) that have a year of healing and/or seasoning.  This is already a good draft.  The only thing pissed away were the draft picks for Reagor.  Flush them, they're gone.

Boy Hockenson sure is taking up a lot of cap room for a 2nd round pick.  

@"Waterboy" said:

@"Montana Tom" said: Patience.  Our second round pick is essentially Hockenson.  We have a first and second rounder from last year (both on the D side) that have a year of healing and/or seasoning.  This is already a good draft.  The only thing pissed away were the draft picks for Reagor.  Flush them, they're gone.

Boy Hockenson sure is taking up a lot of cap room for a 2nd round pick.  

I think Addison was an awesome pick and I’m guessing it was Coach KOC all in on him. 
At the 30 man visit, KOC flat out told Addison if he was there at 23, he would be a Viking. He was true to his word.
I’m sure they listened to trade offers, but I get the impression it would have taken a ton of assets to get them off of the spot as they are that high on Addison. I would love to know the offers they fielded though.
I’m reading the tea leaves, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Addison was top 10 on their board or even top 5. It appeared to me that they stuck with best player available. 
I believe they did the same with the Blackmon pick - best player available and carrying a first round grade for them. I don’t remember who made the comment, Kwesi or KOC, but they said they were ready to take Blackmon in round 1 had it fallen that way. 
That made me feel much better about this crew. Blackmon was regarded as a mid round to late round pick with many experts. He was the #2 corner on my board and carried a first round grade. How a guy who gave up a 40ish QB rating on throws his way and missed only 2 tackles on the season (while playing and practicing against legit NFL talent) can be rated so poorly is just beyond me. 

@"MaroonBells" said: Was not super high on Addison, but some (DJ) had him as their top receiver. Terrific route runner. I'm sure Cousins is happy.

But the kids gonna need a few Juicy Lucy's before he breaks something. And one thing I hate about this pick. Addison was 4th in a 4-WR run. Who would they have taken if all were available? Love to know the answer to that. 

Wasn't JJ the 4th WR taken as well in his draft after a first round WR run?  Jeudy and Lamb in the mid-teens and then Raegor just before us.  I like Addison a lot, I thought he and JSN were the top two of the early round WRs.  Maybe we got lucky again and end up with the best WR of the bunch?

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Was not super high on Addison, but some (DJ) had him as their top receiver. Terrific route runner. I'm sure Cousins is happy.

But the kids gonna need a few Juicy Lucy's before he breaks something. And one thing I hate about this pick. Addison was 4th in a 4-WR run. Who would they have taken if all were available? Love to know the answer to that. 

Wasn't JJ the 4th WR taken as well in his draft after a first round WR run?  Jeudy and Lamb in the mid-teens and then Raegor just before us.  I like Addison a lot, I thought he and JSN were the top two of the early round WRs.  Maybe we got lucky again and end up with the best WR of the bunch?

How first-round pick Jordan Addison might have changed the outcome of a Vikings' fateful 4th-and-8One play didn't define the Vikings' overall successful 2022 season, nor does one play inform an entire draft strategy. But it's interesting to wonder how much last year's final offensive play lingers with the organization, and how WR Jordan Addison might help.When you go back as I did this week and watch a dozen or so times the Vikings' season-ending play in January's 31-24 playoff loss to the Giants — the 4th-and-8 that came up short — you notice a lot.

You are reminded that while the narrative often has been reduced to "Kirk Cousins threw short of the sticks when it mattered most" his options were far from great.
Justin Jefferson? Double-covered. Adam Thielen? Well-covered. K.J. Osborn? He had a half-step over the middle, but his route could have been better. Dalvin Cook? He would have had space in the flat, but a defender was spying on him. T.J. Hockenson? That's where Cousins ultimately went, and he was stopped well short while being well-covered.
All that was unfolding while Cousins was feeling pressure, yet again, up the middle. And the play design, which didn't seem to feature Hockenson as one of the best options, left something to be desired.
One way to mitigate the need for a better immediate option on the play is a mobile quarterback who can escape pressure to either buy time for receivers or run for a first down.
That's both a micro and macro reason I thought the Vikings might draft a mobile quarterback as Cousins' successor in this year's draft — and a reason I still think that will be a sought-out feature of any eventual new young QB.
But as Ben Goessling and I talked about on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, another way to give yourself a better chance on critical third- or fourth-and-long plays is by giving Cousins another target who can: 1) Get open and 2) Do it quickly.
The pick of Addison represented a need, particularly after the Vikings parted ways with the veteran Thielen. At least part of the decision on Thielen was predicated on the fact that he is no longer getting consistent separation from defensive backs.
To function as a next-level offense, the Vikings desperately need someone to make opponents pay for double-teaming Jefferson. The Giants did not pay on that fateful 4th-and-8 because in the precious couple of seconds Cousins had to process the field, he determined that there were really no good options.
Whether he made the right decision is a different question, and I think most of us (head coach Kevin O'Connell included) would have preferred to see him at least take a shot to Jefferson or try Osborn.
The option he did not have was a twitchy slot receiver who has the ability to beat coverage quickly and either get open past the first down marker or reliably catch and run past it.
That's what Addison brings to the party. While he's not just a slot receiver, he took 68% of his snaps in the slot in 2021 — his 100-catch season at Pitt that thrust him onto the national radar.
He lined up wide more after transferring to USC, but we see an interesting number from his data last season: Addison's average depth of target was 10.7 yards past the line of scrimmage, tied for 261st among receivers with at least 32 targets last season. He also averaged about seven yards after the catch each of the last two years.
One can imagine the every-down dimension a player like the 5-11, 174-pound Addison could add to the Vikings' offense, particularly with a line that still give up too much pressure in Cousins' face. They didn't have a reliable threat quite like him in 2022.
One can also picture O'Connell in the draft room imagining how last year might have ended differently with a player like Addison lined up on a season-defining play.
https://www.startribune.com/jordan-addison-vikings-giants-playoffs-fourth-and-8-justin-jefferson-kirk-cousins-randball/600271739/

Do we know if Addison's undetermined injury that prevented him from OTA's and mini is the same injury from last year in college?  Really hoping we don't have two years in a row of non- contribution from 1st round picks.  

@"minny65" said: Do we know if Addison's undetermined injury that prevented him from OTA's and mini is the same injury from last year in college?  Really hoping we don't have two years in a row of non- contribution from 1st round picks.  

Dont know if its the same or not?

I suspect they were just being careful with OTA stuff in prep for TC --- I hope. 

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Was not super high on Addison, but some (DJ) had him as their top receiver. Terrific route runner. I'm sure Cousins is happy.

But the kids gonna need a few Juicy Lucy's before he breaks something. And one thing I hate about this pick. Addison was 4th in a 4-WR run. Who would they have taken if all were available? Love to know the answer to that. 

Wasn't JJ the 4th WR taken as well in his draft after a first round WR run?  Jeudy and Lamb in the mid-teens and then Raegor just before us.  I like Addison a lot, I thought he and JSN were the top two of the early round WRs.  Maybe we got lucky again and end up with the best WR of the bunch?

@"medaille" said:

@"Wetlander" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Was not super high on Addison, but some (DJ) had him as their top receiver. Terrific route runner. I'm sure Cousins is happy.

But the kids gonna need a few Juicy Lucy's before he breaks something. And one thing I hate about this pick. Addison was 4th in a 4-WR run. Who would they have taken if all were available? Love to know the answer to that. 

Wasn't JJ the 4th WR taken as well in his draft after a first round WR run?  Jeudy and Lamb in the mid-teens and then Raegor just before us.  I like Addison a lot, I thought he and JSN were the top two of the early round WRs.  Maybe we got lucky again and end up with the best WR of the bunch?

5th, as Ruggs III was 12th overall.  I think Addison looks great so far, but you never know until the games start.

I can see how my wording might have been misleading.  I haven't seen a single snap of him as a Viking.  I just like his college tape as a fit for us.  

@"medaille" said: I can see how my wording might have been misleading.  I haven't seen a single snap of him as a Viking.  I just like his college tape as a fit for us.  

Yea I wasn't sure if I missed some of his practice time or something.  

@"minny65" said:

@"medaille" said: I can see how my wording might have been misleading.  I haven't seen a single snap of him as a Viking.  I just like his college tape as a fit for us.  

Yea I wasn't sure if I missed some of his practice time or something.  

The Minnesota Vikings had an above-average offense in the first year of the Kevin O’Connell era as the team’s head coach. That offense was the major reason for the 13-4 record and the first division title since 2017. Despite the success, there are some things to improve, like the rushing game.
Offensively, the Vikings ranked 8th in points and 7th in yards per game. The 11th-most yards per play and the 3rd-most first downs imply that the offense was efficient, especially the passing attack produced excellent numbers – 5th in yards and 4th in touchdowns. 
However, the Vikings made an adjustment to the arsenal of Kirk Cousins. Adam Thielen was released and replaced by Jordan Addison. The obvious difference between the two is age. Addison is 21, while Thielen will turn 33 in August. The rookie was the 23rd overall pick and the only selection of the Vikings in the first 100 picks. That shows how much the organization liked him, as they could’ve easily addressed the bad defense with that valuable choice. 

You can easily make an argument for Alexander Mattison here given that he will be stepping into the shoes previously filled for quite a while by Dalvin Cook. But NFL offenses tend to go as far as their passing game can take them, and Addison is the player in the best position to help take that facet of Minnesota’s offense to the next level. 
He doesn’t have great size or elite speed, but Addison is a master technician able to generate separation from nearly any defensive back with ease. How well he works as a complement to Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson will likely determine the ceiling of this offense.

The lack of size and speed is indeed the biggest cause for concern surrounding Addison. He weighed in at 171 lbs at the scouting combine and is one of the lightest receivers in the NFL. In addition, those lighter receivers are usually extremely quick and fast, but Addison clocked in with average numbers in the drills that are supposed to measure that.
The rookie wins with savvy route running and his refined technique, which is why he is expected to hit the ground running instead of requiring years of improvement, like some raw WRs. However, he has been dealing with an injury since his rookie minicamp and subsequently missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp, which may have delayed his eventual breakout. The Vikings have always emphasized that it is just for precautionary reasons. Addison is expected to be ready for training camp. 
At this point, veteran K.J. Osborn should be considered the frontrunner to be the WR2 next to Justin Jefferson in the offense, but the rookie will have a chance to claim that spot in training camp. He is a talented player and will push Osborn for snaps sooner rather than later, even if he doesn’t win the job initially. 
If Addison is the real deal, Kevin O’Connell’s offense in his second season has tremendous upside. The lack of a true outside threat other than Jefferson was a problem in the past, and the decision-makers addressed it by bringing in the college star.
https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/analysis/drafted-their-new