Addison heads to Minnesota
By Jared Smola |
Updated on Thu, 27 Apr 2023, 11:08 PM EDT
The Vikings selected USC WR Jordan Addison with the 23rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. broke out as an 18-year-old true freshman at Pittsburgh and then exploded for 1,593 yards and 17 TDs on 100 catches as a sophomore, winning the 2021 Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football. Addison transferred to USC last offseason to play with HC Lincoln Riley and QB Caleb Williams. His stat line wasn’t as spectacular as the previous year, but he still averaged a strong 5.4 catches, 79.5 yards, and 0.73 TDs per game, leading the Trojans in all three categories. Addison’s tape shows a refined route runner and explosive mover who can win at all levels of the field. The concern? He’s just 5’11 and 173 pounds. That weight lands him in the third percentile among WRs invited to the Combine since 1999 and would make him a bit of an outlier if he develops into a high-end fantasy producer. Over the past ten seasons, there have only been four WRs under 180 pounds to top 1,000 receiving yards (DeSean Jackson, John Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Darnell Mooney). Addison projects as an instant starter alongside Justin Jefferson. The rookie should absorb the 107 targets left behind by Adam Thielen.