Justin Jefferson shocked Eagles passed on him, but now happier at Vikings
Where would the Minnesota Vikings be today if the Philadelphia Eagles had taken Justin Jefferson with the 20th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft?
They'd likely have a less dynamic offense, but the Eagles did pass on Jefferson and now he has a chance to show them up close and personal what they missed out on when the Vikings play in Philadelphia Monday night.
"I'm excited for it. I can't wait," Jefferson said Friday.
Turns out, Jefferson was shocked when the Eagles took Jalen Reagor over him.
"Every mock draft had me going to Philly. When Philly was on the board, getting a phone call and it being Minnesota it was definitely a shocker. I'm definitely way more happy to be here than there," Jefferson said.
Durning the 2020 draft, Justin Jefferson thought he was headed to Philadelphia in the 1st round.
— Alec Ausmus (@A_TwiceKSTP) September 16, 2022
Obviously they passed on him one pick ahead of the #Vikings and the rest is history.
Sounds like Jets is ready to fly at The Linc Monday night. pic.twitter.com/jyGblSQVx0
Jefferson produced 3,016 yards and 17 touchdowns on 196 catches his first two years in the NFL, and he obliterated the Packers with 9 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
Reagor, who is now Jefferson's teammate after Minnesota traded for him just before the start of the regular season, has 64 catches in his career. Is revenge on his mind?
"Of course, why not?” Reagor said Thursday. "But I’m not going to go into the game pressing. Just going to let the game come to me. Whatever plays I make, make the best of them."
Reagor is Minnesota's No. 1 punt returner but the clear No. 4 wide receiver. The Vikings had three receivers on the field 67% of their offensive plays last week, and every time it was Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.