What can the Vikings expect from K.J. Osborn in 2020?
By Chris Schad
The Bad
Another slot receiver?
When the Vikings came into this year’s NFL Draft, they already had Adam Thielen who has run approximately 30 percent of his routes from the slot. Then they added Justin Jefferson, who led the nation in slot yards (1,518) last season at LSU.
Now Minnesota adds K.J. Osborne, who was primarily a slot receiver at Buffalo, but saw his production dip when he was moved outside at Miami. This doesn’t mean Osborne can’t play outside, but as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein points out, it’s probably not his best position.
Route-running
While he can get open deep it seems like Osborn has just one speed when changing directions. Without throwing defensive backs a curveball, he tends to struggle against press coverage, which he would see plenty of if the Vikings try to put him on the outside. If he can’t grasp the battle within, he might be a one-trick pony.
Top-end speed
Let’s point out that a 4.48-second 40-yard dash isn’t terrible, but it only logged in the 64th percentile of receivers in this year’s NFL Draft.
With everyone seemingly getting bigger and faster across the board, a time in the late 4.4 range can be a huge disadvantage unless Osborn can figure out a wild card to keep defenders guessing.