Justin Jefferson Ranked 7th Best WR on Accurate Passes
Over the first three seasons of his NFL career, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has quickly emerged as one of the best players in the entire league. He now heads into his fourth NFL season eligible to catch a massive contract extension that would keep him in Minnesota for the majority of his prime football years.
Recently, Gordon McGuinness of PFF went through the league and ranked the best wide receivers in the league on accurate passes, and unsurprisingly, Jefferson made the list. It may be a bit of a surprise that he only came in 7th on the list, but regardless, his placement among the top-11 is a credit to his consistency and dominance over the past few years.
PFF gave Jefferson a grade of 92.7 in accurate passing scenarios, tying Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets, and narrowly edging out Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle at 92.6 and Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb at 92.4. Here is what McGuinness had to say of the Vikings star:
One of the best receivers in football regardless of the accuracy of the passes he’s dealing with, it’s no shock to see him rank inside the top 10 here. His 34 plays of 15-plus yards on accurate passes ranked first at the position in the regular season and playoffs.
Jefferson finds himself in some terrific company on the list, trailing only A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jerry Jeudy.
After dropping nine of his 163 targets in 2021 (a rate of 7.7%), Jefferson improved greatly, cutting his drop rate by nearly three full percent. He dropped just seven of 185 targets last season, a rate of 4.9%. Assuming the 24-year-old receiver continues improving during 2023, we could see him jump up the rankings even further.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.