Jefferson could be slow to pick up the offense
One thing that’ll help ease the loss of Stefon Diggs for the Vikings offense and Adam Thielen’s production is if Justin Jefferson can make an impact early in the season.
Minnesota used the first-round draft pick they got in the Diggs deal from the Buffalo Bills to add his replacement and they will need him to step up right away.
Jefferson is a talented player with a great combination of size and speed. He can work out of the slot or on the outside and Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak views him as a perfect fit for his passing attack. However, he could be slow to pick up the offense and acclimate himself to the speed of the NFL game in 2020.
Jefferson has already lost valuable time this offseason. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota and the rest of the league had to cancel OTAs and rookie mini-camps. This has put Jefferson far behind where most rookies normally are at this point in their transition to the pros. He is going to have to learn a lot in a short period of time to be ready for Week 1.
If he doesn’t progress as quickly as the Vikings need, this will definitely result in Thielen seeing more double-teams from opposing defenses.
NFL defenses aren’t going to worry about Jefferson until he can prove to be a consistent threat. If that takes a quarter of the season to happen, Thielen could see a very slow start production-wise to his 2020 campaign, as he will be constantly battling through double-teams.