Jordan Addison is Ready to Get Going With the Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings' first-round draft pick is already asking Kevin O'Connell for the playbook.

Jordan Addison's life changed on Thursday night.

Surrounded by his siblings, parents, and grandparents at the NFL Draft in Kansas City, Addison got the call that the Vikings were selecting him with 23rd overall pick. In that moment, a childhood dream had been realized for the 21-year-old from Frederick, MD, who became a star receiver at Pitt and USC.

Addison wanted to play football when he was three years old, but his mother made him wait until he turned five. He played quarterback growing up, then switched to wide receiver and cornerback in high school. He fell in love with the craft of playing receiver in part because he was inspired by watching another former Vikings draft pick from his area: Stefon Diggs.

"When I'm running my routes, I like to look at it like I'm an artist and I'm going out there painting pictures," Addison said.

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Coming out of high school, Addison was recruited by a variety of east coast schools and Notre Dame, who offered him as a cornerback. He chose to stick to receiver and committed to Pitt, where he wound up winning the Biletnikoff Award as a true sophomore in 2021.

"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 it paid off," Addison said.

After that season, due to some coaching changes at Pitt and a "gut feeling," Addison transferred to play for Lincoln Riley at USC. Although his numbers weren't quite as dominant, he still shined as one of the Pac-12's top receivers, proving he could be effective in multiple offenses and multiple roles. After primarily playing in the slot at Pitt, he spent more time on the outside at USC.

The Vikings hosted Addison on a pre-draft top 30 visit at TCO Performance Center, which allowed them to learn more about him and establish a relationship. Head coach Kevin O'Connell told Addison that if he was there when the Vikings picked, they'd take him, and they stayed true to that word.

Minnesota loves Addison's skill set and how he'll fit alongside Justin Jefferson in O'Connell's offense. Beyond that, the franchise believes he has the mental makeup and work ethic to become the next great receiver in their storied tradition at the position.

"Not only the skill set, the person, the player, but the more and more you spend time with him, the drive that he has to be great," O'Connell said. "It's already set in, he's already asking for the playbook and 'What are we gonna be doing here or there, how are you planning on using me?' All those things are things we started talking about on our 30 visit. Credit to Kwesi and his staff for, obviously going back a long way, identifying a player of this kind of caliber and then getting him in our building early, letting us form those relationships early and now we can hit the ground running."

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Addison is a polished route-runner who is sharp in and out of his breaks. He just knows how to get open, and his history playing quarterback and cornerback gives him an understanding of "the bigger picture," in his words.

"From an offensive standpoint, just knowing what every guy does and not just one position," Addison said. "So X, Y, Z, H, just learning that whole concept, and then it just makes it easier for me because I know where everybody is supposed to be at, when, and how much time I got in my route."

The knock on Addison — and the likely reason he was the fourth receiver taken in a span of four consecutive picks on Thursday — is that he's undersized and didn't put up elite athletic testing numbers. But he plays faster than his 4.49 40 would suggest, and he makes up for his lack of size by being quick and crafty with his releases and routes.

"Some people try to get over-aggressive (at the line of scrimmage), and I just use that to my advantage," Addison said.

Addison, who weighed in at a meager 171 pounds at the combine, says he's comfortable at his current weight but knows he needs to get stronger. That'll be part of his transition to the NFL as he looks to thrive in a starting role right away.

"Being a separator, lining up inside, lining up outside, having a plan versus press, his ability to run off the football with explosiveness and then suddenness, with an understanding of how to use his body and that great body control he has," O'Connell said late Thursday night. "And then super competitive at the catch point, extends his hands away from his body and can pluck it and create yards after catch with his efficiency catching the football. Really enjoyed getting to know him on the 30 visit. There was a reason we brought him in here."

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