Minnesota Vikings first-round pick Justin Jefferson has wasted no time setting his expectations in the league.
The 22nd overall selection in the NFL Draft made an appearance on CBS Sports’ podcast “The Zach Gelb Show” on Thursday and made it known he’s planning a revenge tour for the wide receivers that were taken ahead of him.
“Every single person that picked a receiver instead of me are going to pay,” Jefferson said. “I’m going to show them that I am the better receiver than the pick that they had.”
Jefferson saw four receivers taken ahead of him in last week’s draft with Jerry Jeudy going 15th overall to the Denver Broncos, CeeDee Lamb selected 17th by the Dallas Cowboys and Jalen Reagor going 21st by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Although the wide receiver class has been lauded for its depth, Jefferson still said he was surprised to see those names come off the board before he did.
“I felt like I was the best receiver in this draft class, and being the fifth receiver off the board, it kind of was a shocker,” Jefferson said. “But also having that on my shoulder going into this next season with Minnesota, I’m definitely excited to show the world what I have.”
Jefferson put up massive numbers with LSU last season, collecting 111 receptions, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to a national championship.
While the 21-year-old should slide into the Vikings lineup opposite Adam Thielen, he’s gained plenty of praise as he looks to fill the shoes of Stefon Diggs, who was traded to Buffalo this offseason.
