Wideout Jordan Addison Will Complement All-Pro Justin Jefferson

There is still a desperate need to improve on defense, and that’s something that all Minnesota Vikings fans know.

Defense has been the team’s weak spot each of the last 3 seasons, and never more than last year when the Vikings rolled to the NFC North title but lost at home in the Wild Card game to a very ordinary New York Giants team with an average quarterback in Daniel Jones.

But it wasn’t just last year. The Minnesota defense was just as miserable in 2020 and 2021 under former head coach Mike Zimmer. So even though the Vikings have brought in a new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores and three key defensive additions in in defensive end Dean Lowry from the Green Bay Packers, defensive back Byron Murphy from the Arizona Cardinals and outside linebacker Marcus Davenport from the Saints, they need more help.

But there are still offensive needs on this team, and that’s why general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings selected Jordan Addison of USC with the No. 23 pick in the first round. Addison is an accomplished wide receiver, probably the second-best wideout in the draft behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who began a run at the position when he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 20 selection.

The Los Angeles Chargers followed with Quentin Johnston of TCU, and the Ravens delivered a present for quarterback Lamar Jackson by selecting Boston College speedster Zay Flowers.

Addison is the most accomplished of the receivers, having caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns while working with Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2021 and hauling in 59 passes for 875 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2022 while teaming up with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at USC.

While a case can be made that Addison put his numbers together while working with two of the best college quarterbacks the last two years, those two quarterbacks sought out Addison on a regular basis because they knew he would deliver big plays on an every-game basis.

No receiver in the country has been more productive over the past two years than Addison, and he will have a chance to fill the role of No. 2 receiver on the Vikings and serve as a complement to Justin Jefferson.

Addison will have to earn that position, because K.J. Osborn will have a chance to fill that role as well. Osborn made a number of big plays last year for head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterback Kirk Cousins, but he is still striving for consistency.

Addison is not a big man at 5-11 and 173 pounds, and that lack of size will be an issue for him to overcome. The Vikings believe that Addison can put more meat on his frame and get stronger, but it is clear he has excellent receiving skills.

Addison runs precise patterns and he gets into and out of his cuts quickly. He excels at setting up defensive backs, and he is dynamic on short-, medium- and long-range pass patterns. He has the skills of an accomplished professional, and the only issue is his lack of size and strength.

Cousins was thrilled with the selection of Addison. “He is a natural wide receiver,” Cousins said after the Vikings made their first-round selection. “You always want that natural receiver over a great athlete. Not to say he isn’t a great athlete. But he can attack the football with great hands, adjust to the ball well and run great routes. That’s pretty exciting to get that kind of polish when he shows up right away for OTAs.

“We targeted Justin [Jefferson] a lot last year, and with good reason. He is one of the elite receivers in football. This should help take some of the pressure off of him. The more that we can divert coverage away from Justin, that’s only going to help him.”

If the Vikings can acclimate Addison and get him into the mix in offseason work and training camp, the team’s high-powered offense may be even more dangerous this season. That makes Addison a solid addition on Day 1 of the draft.

Days 2 and 3 of the draft must be dedicated to finding defensive help.