Justin Jefferson's on-field impact is arguably even greater when he's not catching the football for the Vikings
The best wide receiver in the National Football League is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings. I would listen to arguments of both Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase and Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill but it's still Jefferson. There is nothing that Jefferson does that is below the level of great and his […]
The best wide receiver in the National Football League is Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
I would listen to arguments of both Philadelphia Eagles' A.J. Brown, Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase and Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill but it's still Jefferson. There is nothing that Jefferson does that is below the level of great and his performance has been stellar across the board.
One thing that will be used as an argument against Jefferson is how he has some dud games this year with three games under 60 yards receiving and only four games over 100 yards. However, it's the little things that separate Jefferson apart from the rest of the league.
Justin Jefferson is the best WR in the NFL
Let's start out with how the Vikings deploy Jefferson. They use him in a variety of ways as the X, Y and Z. They love using him in motion to both get him moving at the snap along with using it to identify coverage.
It's the little things that separate Jefferson. Watch him use his body positioning and leverage to force the cornerback toward the outside. When Jefferson cuts inside, it creates a window for Sam Darnold to fire the ball inside for the touchdown.
Little things are there in droves for Jefferson and it creates a lot of separation in a league where wide open doesn't always look like it.
The other element that doesn't get discussed enough with Jefferson's impact and greatness is the element of gravity.
One of the best comparisons I can make about Jefferson is comparing him to is the planet Jupiter. Why Jupiter? It's got an insane gravitational pull which is a major reason why it has so many moons.
Jefferson's presence on the field does just that. There are three plays that highlight his gravity two deep balls to Jordan Addison with different ways of success and a red zone touchdown.
This is a double dover concept with two deep overs crossing each other with Addison running a clearout route. Theoretically, Addison's not even in the progression because his entire job is to create space for Darnold to hit Jefferson. What Darnold does here is strictly because of Jefferson's gravity.
He sees safety Jessie Bates crash on Jefferson at the end of the deep over route and changes course by launching a deep ball to Addison. He uses insanely good tempo to slow down and let the ball catch up to him before exploding at the end of the route to draw a pass-interference penalty that set up a touchdown.
The other example is some of the same, as Bates is once again drawn to Jefferson.
Both Jefferson and Addison run go routes down the field against single high coverage. This is a look that Darnold loves to attack vertically against. He looks toward Jefferson and Bates bites before throwing the ball to Addison for a huge gain. This is a constant for the Vikings and attacking deep has been a major element of success for the Vikings.
The last throw is in the red zone and is arguably the biggest example of how the Vikings exploit defenses.
The entire route here is wide open for Addison. Jefferson motions inside to draw the coverage to him and the cornerback fails to keep outside leverage, essentially allowing Addison a free release and he runs a great route by attacking the back pylon to gain leverage and cuts outside for a great throwing window for Darnold.
Having Jefferson attacking inside allows Addison to have that kind of free release and get an easy touchdown. His sheer presence is arguably more important than him actually catching the football, something he's incredible at doing.
Do other receivers have this kind of gravity? No they don't and that's what separates Jefferson from the rest.
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