Jefferson is a legit replacement and possibly an upgrade
After taking a bit to adjust to the NFL level earlier this season since he didn’t have the luxury of a preseason, Justin Jefferson is off to a blazing hot start in his first year with the Vikings.
Through four games, Jefferson has caught 16 passes for 348 yards and one touchdown. The only other player in Minnesota history to have more receiving yards in their first four appearances in the NFL is the guy who the Vikings shipped to Buffalo earlier this year, Stefon Diggs (he had 419).
But despite Diggs racking up more yards than Minnesota’s current rookie pass-catcher, Jefferson has averaged more yards per catch, more yards per target, and he has caught a higher percentage of his targets than Diggs was able to do during his first four games in the Twin Cities.
In Week 3, the Vikings rookie had a monster performance that saw him finish with 175 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Sammy White and some guy named Randy Moss are the only players in Minnesota history to end a game with more receiving yards during their rookie campaigns.
Since he was moved into the starting lineup two weeks ago, Jefferson has proven to be a fine replacement for the guy who used to wear No. 14 for the Vikings.
Based on what we’ve seen from the Minnesota rookie so far this season, it’s no longer crazy to think that he might even end up being a better receiver for the franchise than Diggs was.