Vikings' Millennium Masterstroke: Best Move of the Century

Every year, NFL teams get together and try to snatch the best college players and NFL prospects. The ultimate goal is to find a future Hall of Famer and a potential all-time great player. That, however, is rare. In 2020, Vikings GM Rick Spielman found one.

Eric Edholm on Justin Jefferson

The GM was let go in the 2022 offseason, but he will continue to be part of the Minnesota Vikings until his final draft pick says goodbye. Spielman was a respectable GM for most of his tenure with the club, but his selection of
Justin Jefferson
five years ago was undoubtedly his best move.

In fact, it was the best wide receiver draft choice of the last 25 years, says Eric Edholm of NFL.com. He compiled the top five receiver value picks over that time, and despite it costing a first-rounder, he placed the former LSU pass-catcher at the top of his list.

Edholm explained
his criteria: “This offseason I am taking a position-by-position look at the best NFL draft values of the millennium: In short, which teams received the most bang for their draft-pick buck? Higher draft picks were

not

dismissed for this exercise, but I tended to side with the highest-achieving lower selections. Extra weight was also given to longevity and the value those players provided for the teams that drafted them.”

Usually, there’s some late-rounder leading the draft steals. Tom Brady, for example, will always be the best draft steal in NFL history. Third-rounder Steve Smith and fifth-rounder Tyreek Hill are right behind the Viking.

Edholm’s reasons for preferring Jefferson: “Yes, he was a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, but Jefferson was the fifth receiver taken — and he’s arguably the best wideout in the game today. That class was loaded at the position (CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, Jerry Jeudy and others), but Jefferson stands alone. Can you imagine if the Eagles had taken Jefferson instead of Jalen Reagor?”

The 2020 draft pool was titled the “best receiver class of all time,” and it has lived up to the hype with numerous excellent players. Jalen Reagor was infamously picked right ahead of Jefferson. He had an unsuccessful one-year stint with the Vikings in 2022.

“Jefferson’s total body of work doesn’t quite stack up, as several other receivers in this era have more catches and yards, but Jefferson is on a historic pace to start his career — in spite of some up-and-down QB play in Minnesota,” Edholm added. “Through 77 games, Jefferson is the NFL’s current all-time leader in receiving yards per game at a stunning 96.5, which is nine yards better than No. 2 (Ja’Marr Chase) and he’s well ahead of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s production his first five NFL seasons.”

Jefferson is on pace to deliver a Hall-of-Fame career; he just needs to stay healthy for a few more years. He’s pretty much breaking records on a weekly basis and has been phenomenal in his role as the face of the franchise.

Another Former Vikings Picks Could’ve Made the List

Adam Thielen went undrafted, and technically doesn’t count as a draft steal. His longtime teammate Stefon Diggs does.

The former fifth-rounder has become one of the best receivers of his generation, first starring in Minnesota’s aerial attack and later former a lethal duo with Josh Allen in Buffalo. Ironically, the pick the Vikings received in exchange for him landed Jefferson.

While Jefferson has been a career-Viking so far, Diggs played for the Texans last year and signed with the Patriots earlier this offseason. A torn ACL cost him half of last season. The Vikings and the Patiots will meet for a joint practice session in August. We might get some footage of Diggs and Jefferson chatting. Both were Rick Spielman specials.

Editor’s Note: Information from
PFF
,
Over The Cap
, and
Sports Reference
helped with this article.

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