Vikings' Justin Jefferson insists he'll be 'the best receiver in the NFL' after 2022 season
- Sean Fisher
- 17 July 2022
There's no lack of confidence in the Minnesota Vikings camp this off-season, with Justin Jefferson predicting he'll be the best receiver in the NFL in a year's time.
At just 23 years old, there's plenty of potential for Justin Jefferson to fulfil, and plenty of time for him to do it.
But the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver seems in a rush to reach the top, and he predicts he'll be there at this time next year.
Jefferson realistically admitted that Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams is currently top of the wideout pile, but there was no shortage of confidence in his own ability.
"I'll say after this year I'll be the best receiver in the NFL," Jefferson said.
Highest rate of contested targets caught in a season since 2017
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 7, 2022
1️⃣ Justin Jefferson (’19): 92.3%
2️⃣ Jaxon Smith-Njigba (’21): 90.0%
3️⃣ Laviska Shenault (’18): 88.9% pic.twitter.com/0JJO8epVGk
"I definitely have to give it to Davante Adams as of now, him being so crazy and dynamic on the field.
"His route running is crazy, so I definitely have to give it to him right now, but I'm pretty sure after this year, it's going to be me."
Frankly, a glance at Jefferson's numbers in the NFL makes it hard to disagree.
The Vikings star currently holds the record for most receiving yards in a player's first two seasons with 3,016 - which also tops the number in the NFL for all players since 2020.
Jefferson also sits tied with New Orleans' Michael Thomas for most catches in his first two years, after making 196.
Still not impressed? The Vikings offence has been centered on running the ball recently, so with new head coach Kevin O'Connell promising to evolve their passing game, there's every chance Jefferson could explode this season.
Justin Jefferson is a freak of nature. #Vikings pic.twitter.com/pYF14RaI90
— The NFL Lead (@NFL_Lead) July 17, 2022
When asked about his goals for 2022, Jefferson replied, "It's definitely tough to outdo 1,600 yards.
"It's not normal for people to get that many yards consistently, back-to-back like that. Really just working on my weaknesses that I felt that I had throughout the season, always working on my game.
"I'm always working on route running, always can work on catching the ball, so just trying to better my craft at all of those different categories.
"And with this new offense with coach (Kevin) O'Connell, all of us are excited about this new playbook and hopefully we have a better season this year."
