EAGAN — Jordan Addison wanted to play football when he was three. For two years his mom kept telling him that he couldn’t play until he was five-years old. When he got on the field as a youngster, quarterback and cornerback were his main positions but the Minnesota Vikings’ 23rd overall selection in the 2023 draft was inspired by a receiver native to his area in Maryland to switch to receiver in high school and began learning to become a route-running wizard. That player was Stefon Diggs.
“[Diggs] was a top receiver coming out of Maryland and the way he ran routes and his mindset shifted my perspective…and I never looked back,” Addison said during his introductory press conference on Friday afternoon at TCO Performance Center.
Addison had an offer to play cornerback in college but decided that he should stick to the position he aspired to master after being driven by Diggs’ success.
“My brother told me, ‘You need the ball in your hands,’ so I just stuck with the offensive side and I’m happy to say that it paid off,” Addison said.
Playing multiple positions growing up also paid off, according to the newest Viking, who caught over 70% of his targets during the last three years of his college career.
“It showed me to start looking at the bigger picture,” Addison said. “Knowing what every guy does and not just one position so X, Y, Z, H, learning the whole concept and that makes it easier for me because I know where everyone is supposed to be and how much time I have in my route.”
Addison has to be a master craftsmen at his size. At 173 pounds, he ranks in the third percentile of NFL receivers in terms of weight. But the way that his slender peers like DeVonta Smith have succeeded is through creating separation. That’s where Addison thrived in college, grading 76.2 (out of 100) per PFF versus man coverage and ranking in the 68th percentile of success against man according to Reception Perception.
“When I’m running my routes, I like to look at it like I’m an artist and I’m going out there and painting pictures,” Addison said. “I just fell in love with the craft. I feel like that’s what helps me succeed.”
According to Reception Perception, Addison most succeeded when he could add suddenness to his routes. He scored above average on digs, curls and corner routes.
There is still improvements to be made. RP’s data showed that Addison wasn’t as successful when running deep routes against press coverage. But he mentioned during his press conference that an attractive element of joining the Vikings was how often the receivers are moved around in different alignments.
“I watched them a lot last season and coming here on my [top 30] visit and seeing how they use their pieces and get their playmakers the ball and move all their receivers around and let them run a lot of different routes,” Addison said. “As a receiver coming in, that’s what you want to see.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said that Addison was already asking for the playbook and how he will be used within the offense in his first visit to Minnesota. He wants to get started right away on his art.
“I take pride in every little detail that goes into being a receiver,” Addison said. “I love it.”
