Jordan Addison

Addison got off to a fast start in the NFL, coming in as the 23nd overall pick last year after a college career with 3,134 yards and 29 touchdowns over three seasons. His slim build (5-11, 173) didn't seem like too much of a problem during his rookie year, and a mediocre 40 time (4.49) didn't prevent the former Pitt/USC star from earning a key role out of the gate. Addison scored TDs in his first two games and seven over the first eight weeks, averaging 4.5 catches for 60.3 yards on 6.5 targets in that stretch. Justin Jefferson's hamstring injury helped Addison see some extra passes during that time -- 23 targets Weeks 6-8 -- but things took a turn for the worse after Kirk Cousins suffered an Achilles' tear Week 8. While Addison got similar volume (6.2 targets per game), his efficiency numbers plummeted with backup QBs, including a 60.7 percent catch rate (compared to 69.2 in Cousins' starts) and 7.7 yards per target (9.3 with Cousins). Addison finished the year at 70-911-10 on 108 targets, ranking 18th among WRs in routes run (584) and 40th in aDOT (12.2). His per-route numbers were somewhat less impressive (18.5 percent target rate, 1.56 YPRR), though still quite good for a 21-year-old who played eight games with both Jefferson and TE T.J. Hockenson on the field. Hockenson may miss part of the upcoming year after a late-December ACL tear, but the bigger question is what happens next at QB, where rookie J.J. McCarthy out for the year after knee surgery and Sam Darnold is now locked in as the short-term replacement for Cousins. In addition to the concerns about Darnold, there's a good chance Addison is suspended at some point for an offseason DWI arrest, though that might not happen until 2025.

Addison is the next test case in a recent string of highly productive, undersized wide receivers. He put up 3,134 yards in three seasons at Pitt and USC, including a 100-1,593-17 receiving line in 2021 at Pitt, but his draft stock fell after the 2023 combine when he ran a 4.49 40 at 5-11, 173. Eagles WR DeVonta Smith has been successful with a similar build, but his college production was on another level beyond even Addison's and he's shown unusual strength for someone so slim. Then there's Arizona's Marquise Brown, who is similarly thin and shorter but also much faster than Addison. The Vikings bit at 23rd overall, making Addison the fourth WR selected after none went in the first 19 picks. He probably has the best situation of any rookie, joining a roster on which K.J. Osborn previously projected as the No. 2 WR after Adam Thielen's offseason departure. With Osborn primarily playing the slot and valued for versatility more so than his ability to beat man coverage, Addison could immediately become the No. 2 receiver in an offense that gets solid QB play out of Kirk Cousins and has Justin Jefferson drawing coverages to his side. The downside is that Addison will never be the No. 1 option in an offense that has Jefferson.