Draft Decisions from Eagles, Raiders Massively Important for Minnesota
K. Joudry
|
Sometimes, it’s the decisions from other teams that make the most difference. The Vikings deserve a lot of credit for picking Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw in consecutive drafts. However, things could have easily gone very differently if the Eagles and Raiders didn’t make surprising picks.
As any number of folks have discussed, the Eagles’ decision to draft Jalen Reagor over Jefferson was very significant for the Vikings. In two short seasons, Jefferson has solidified himself as the team’s best player. He’s an elite receiver who is 23-years-old. Unless something unforeseen happens, Jefferson will be a cornerstone in this offense for a long time.
Less discussed, perhaps, is the Raiders’ decision to pick Alex Leatherwood instead of Darrisaw. During last weekend’s preseason game, Leatherwood was playing alongside the Raiders backups. Darrisaw, in contrast, is the starting left tackle in Minnesota. The Vikings’ young OT has gotten a lot of praise this offseason, even getting compared to arguably the best offensive lineman in the NFL.
Now, it’s worth noting that the final chapter hasn’t been written in the story of Reagor’s and Leatherwood’s NFL careers. Perhaps both become elite players. Plenty of guys have overcome modest beginnings to become great players.
That being said, the Vikings must feel pretty fortunate to have Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw in town. There are 11 starters on offense and those 2 look like they’ll be occupying critically important spots for years to come. The LT and WR spots are perhaps the most important positions other than QB. Getting two great players in back-to-back drafts for those spots is a massive win.
Currently, Kevin O’Connell is looking to turn this often into a perennial juggernaut. Having two young players to build around in Christian Darrisaw and Justin Jefferson is certainly a good place to start. Partnering them with some of the other young talent – Ezra Cleveland, Kene Nwangwu, and Irv Smith Jr. (among others) – gives this team a shot to have a top offense for a while.
Purple PTSD: Is it Patrick Jones Time?
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1073825″ player=”26281″ title=”WATCH%20Why%20Running%20Back%20is%20Fantasy%20Football’s%20most%20valued%20position” duration=”103″ description=”Fantasy Football Guru at CBS Sports HQ, Dave Richard, joins Carolyn Manno to discuss all things Fantasy Football ahead of this season.” uploaddate=”2022-08-11″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/1073666_sd_1660228753.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1073666/1073666.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]