Former Michigan State Star Continues Absurdly Efficient Season
Perhaps one of the most interesting offensive threats in the NFL is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
The Michigan State Spartans product is certainly not elite. He isn't a No. 1 option. He isn't a No. 2, either. And yet, he still finds a way to make big plays on a loop.
Nailor logged just one catch during the Vikings' Week 12 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon, but that one grab was a five-yard touchdown.
What is so special about that reception, you ask?
Well, consider this: Nailor has caught a grand total of 17 passes this season. That's certainly not a lot, but 14 of them have gone for first downs, and he has already reached the end zone five times.
That is an absurdly efficient stat line, even if the 25-year-old is hardly not a focal point in a Minnesota aerial attack that includes the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.
Nevertheless, quarterback Sam Darnold continues to find Nailor when it matters, and Nailor keeps making opponents pay after lulling them to sleep.
Nailor was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and had a very limited role during his rookie campaign, but once again, he was efficient, with seven of his nine catches moving the chains.
The Palmdale, Ca. native was limited to just six games last season due to injuries, but he has managed to play in all 11 of the Vikings' contests thus far in 2024.
Nailor spent four years at Michigan State from 2018 through 2021, with his best campaign coming in his last season when he hauled in 37 receptions for 649 yards and six touchdowns.
Even at East Lansing, Nailor showed a penchant for game-breaking ability, as he led the Big Ten with 19.8 yards per catch in 2020 and followed that up by averaging 18.8 yards per grab in 2021.
Nailor may never develop into a top-flight receiver, but there is no question that he is finding a role in Minnesota's offense and could establish himself as a perfect supplemental option.
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