Justin Jefferson Heats up WR Debate

Now with the Minnesota Vikings after being bypassed by Eagles, Jefferson said he will make teams pay for not taking him earlier

There were a lot of machinations going on in the 2020 NFL Draft when it came to the receiver position at the bottom of the first round.

Magically, at least if you want to believe Howie Roseman, Rick Spielman, and John Lynch, everyone got what they wanted.

The devil is always in the details, however.

According to an NFL source, there were plenty of moving parts so take a deep breath and enjoy:

The Eagles tried to trade up above Dallas, presumably in an effort to get the sliding CeeDee Lamb before ultimately staying put and selecting their favorite in the debate between two space players in Jalen Reagor and Brandon Aiyuk.

Spielman, the Vikings' GM, first attempted to get up to Nos. 13 or 14, presumably for Lamb or Jerry Jeudy, and again tried to slot ahead of Philadelphia thinking Roseman and Co. would take the well-rounded Justin Jefferson right in front of him at 22.

Finally, the Niners and their GM, Lynch, who already scuttled Minnesota's earlier hopes at 13 and 14 by sliding down a spot with Tampa Bay then selecting South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, were trying to go up with their other first-round pick in order to get the apple of their eye, Aiyuk, and did get it done by moving up six spots from 31, ironically with the Vikings, who stepped back and snared TCU CB Jeff Gladney with their second first-round selection.

Lynch's original intent, however, was to get above the Eagles, obviously unsure of who won in the Eagles' process.

Whew, got all that?

Perhaps lost in translation was the draft groupthink that Jefferson, the ultra-productive LSU wideout who excelled on college football's biggest stage against the toughest opponents, was the No. 4 receiver in the class yet some preferred the different flavors of Reagor or Aiyuk, certainly prospects that are not as polished but may have a higher ceiling in the modern game.

Al always, throw the draft grades in the circular file.

Hindsight will be the only judge that matters and it will render its decision in two to three years.

Jefferson plans on making everyone who thought Henry Ruggs, Jeudy and Lamb were better than him, never mind Reagor or Aiyuk, pay.

Appearing on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio, Jefferson was asked about the Eagles' decision specifically.

"I was surprised that Philadelphia didn't take you," said Gelb. "What was your reaction when Philadelphia didn't take you at 21 and went with Jalen Reagor?"

"Definitely was saying to mom, saying to my brothers, my family, that every single person that picked a receiver instead of me, you know, are gonna pay," Jefferson said. "I want to show them I'm the better receiver than the pick that they had."

A separate NFL source described the thinking by Philadelphia to SI.com, saying that the Eagles really liked Jefferson as a receiver but were looking for a different trait, a player that could stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically with things like orbit motions and jet sweeps, the way Tyreek Hill does for Andy Reid's offense in Kansas City.

That sentiment was noticed by SI.com at the pre-draft press availability of Andy Weidl, the Eagles vice president of player personnel.

“It's become a space game and it's become a game of matchups and spreading people out,” said Weidl.

In some ways this became a debate on old school vs. new school - the crafty, well-rounded route runner or the player who can make something out of nothing. 

The route tree vs. the manufactured touch.

Production vs. traits.

To those paying attention, Weidl foreshadowed his stance in that debate before things even got started.

“Receivers that can win on all three levels early, top of the route and guys that can stretch the field,” he said. “It's become a one-on-one league and a space game and guys that can win and guys that can go above the rim and play the football. It's really evolved into that, I believe.”

Many, like Former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah, who had Jefferson graded as the 14th best player available vs. No. 56 for Reagor, disagreed.

"The Eagles really wanted speed," Jeremiah wrote on Twitter. "Reagor provides that. I just couldn't pass up my 14th rated player (Justin Jefferson) for my 56th player (Reagor). It'll be fascinating to follow both of their careers."

Fascinating and just another tool for Jefferson to tap into.

"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,” he 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.”

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen