Jordan Addison entered the NFL as a bit of an afterthought.
That isn’t to say Addison wasn’t talented or was an irrelevant draft pick. He was, after all, selected in the first round. But there was this sense of indifference from the casual fan and the national media when the Minnesota Vikings drafted Addison.
Justin Jefferson‘s presence on Minnesota’s roster likely had something to do with the subdued reaction. Jefferson had quickly established himself as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver and face of the franchise. In the eyes of many, Addison would serve as a superb sidekick.
Two years in, Addison is still flying under the radar. Sure, it’s a natural byproduct of playing alongside Jefferson. But Addison has at least solidified himself as one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. He’s probably better than that.
Let’s rewind to Addison’s rookie season — a tumultuous one for the Vikings. Jefferson missed half the season with a hamstring injury, thrusting Addison into the No. 1 role. The former Pitt and USC receiver made a seamless transition. He and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins built a strong connection shortly after Jefferson’s injury. From Week 5 through Week 8, Addison recorded 23 catches for 297 yards and five touchdowns.
Then Cousins ruptured his Achilles, and Minnesota’s quarterback carousel began to spin. First, it was Jaren Hall, then Josh Dobbs, then Nick Mullens, then back to Dobbs, then back to Mullens, then back to Hall, and then back to Mullens. Still, Addison managed to tally 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in a sneaky-awesome rookie season.
But it wasn’t just the stats. Addison showed true technical skills and an underrated ability to make contested catches.
Addison had another new quarterback in his second year in the NFL. Still, it was just another opportunity for Addison to bring the goods. A slow start to the season preceded a midseason explosion in which Addison recorded 41 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns in a seven-game stretch.
Ultimately, it was another season in which Addison finished just shy of 1,000 yards, albeit while missing a few games. Still, the stat sheet doesn’t fully capture what Addison offers.
Speed and quickness are, of course, valuable traits at the wide receiver position. Addison runs a fluid, smooth route while displaying enough change-of-pace ability to fool defenders regularly.
And again, the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. There are plenty of instances during the season where Addison cooks his man in single coverage, but the pass is either thrown elsewhere or is inaccurate.
In perhaps Addison’s most viral play of the 2024 season, he added a little flair to what appeared to be a variation of a spot-and-go route against the Green Bay Packers.
Addison runs the short curl route and literally stops in place, looking back at quarterback Sam Darnold while lulling his defender to sleep. Then, in an instant, he turns 180 degrees and bolts upfield, creating yards of separation between himself and the defensive back.
Addison’s ability to stop completely during his route while understanding the defender’s leverage and the status of Darnold’s protection is a level of savvy a second-year receiver isn’t supposed to have.
Also, it’s worth highlighting the end of that play. Addison made a diving catch look way too easy to put the exclamation point on a crucial touchdown.
It’s another element of Addison’s game that the national media overlooks. Of course, most receivers who stand less than six feet tall and weigh under 180 lbs. don’t get the benefit of the doubt with contested catches. Still, it might be the best part of Addison’s game.
During the first half of Minnesota’s overtime win against the Chicago Bears, Addison caught a long pass from Darnold, during which Chicago’s defensive back played airtight coverage. Darnold made a great throw and Addison made an even better catch by positioning himself perfectly and going through the contact of a larger defender to secure the ball.
Notice how the defensive back begins to celebrate because there’s no way Addison caught that…right?
Addison has repeatedly displayed an ability to make the difficult catch, whether that means high-pointing the ball above the defenders or maintaining laser focus and absorbing contact while still coming down with the ball.
Addison doesn’t have a weakness in his skillset. He’s fast, quick, and deceptive in his route running. He has sure hands and is reliable in 50/50 situations.
Despite this, Addison remains a bit of an afterthought in the general NFL landscape. His statistics have something to do with that. But context is important, too. In 2024, the Vikings found themselves in pass situations much less frequently than other teams. Of course, Jefferson unsurprisingly received a much larger share of the targets when they threw.
Still, Addison undoubtedly has the game to be an effective No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. Fortunately for the Vikings, it doesn’t seem like many people have noticed that yet.
Moving forward, it will be important for Minnesota to treat Addison as more than an afterthought. He and Jefferson, combined with the leadership of Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell, present a winning situation for whoever is under center next year.
