The Las Vegas Raiders took Henry Ruggs with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Then the Denver Broncos took Jerry Jeudy at 15. Then the Dallas Cowboys took CeeDee Lamb at 17. The the Philadelphia Eagles took Jalen Reagor at 21.
And then…
…then the Minnesota Vikings took Justin Jefferson at 22.
If you’re curious, Jefferson was surprised that four wide receivers were taken ahead of him.
“I mean, yes,” Jefferson said on The Zach Gelb Show. “I felt like I was the best receiver in this draft class, and being the fifth receiver off the board, it kind of was a shocker. But also having that on my shoulder going into this next season with Minnesota, I’m definitely excited to show the world what I have.”
Jefferson showed a lot at LSU. In 2019, he had 111 catches for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns, helping the Tigers to a national championship. He is considered one of the most pro-ready wide receivers in this year’s class.
“Every single person that picked a receiver instead of me are going to pay,” Jefferson said. “I’m going to show them that I am the better receiver than the pick that they had. . . . I’m definitely excited to go into Minnesota and [compete] for [a] Super Bowl.”
Jefferson will replace Stefon Diggs, who forced his way out of Minnesota. Diggs was very productive for the Vikings, averaging over 82 catches for over 1,075 yards and 7.5 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Jefferson, though, isn’t afraid of filling those shoes.
“I never really was afraid of pressure,” he said. “I never really was trying to avoid pressure. Pressure busts pipes. So in order to control everything, you just kind of got to be your own. You got to go in this time, this zone, that you have to be in, having to work out by yourself. You kind of have to be in right now. I’m just putting in the time and the effort and just doing all these workouts, just trying to stay in shape and just trying to go into Minnesota with my mind focused on what I have to accomplish.”