Jordan Addison Snubbed from OROY Finalists
With the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings opted to take WR Jordan Addison out of USC.
While many projected that the Vikings would take an impact player for their defense, the selection of Addison worked out beautifully for Minnesota as he quickly blossomed into a star at the receiver position. However, despite his incredible season, the Vikings rookie was not included amongst the finalists for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Jordan Addison Snubbed from OROY Finalists
The NFL announced their finalists on Thursday morning, and the list included the following players:
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
- TE Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)
- WR Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams)
- RB Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons)
- QB C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
All five players certainly had fantastic seasons this year, and Stroud should certainly be the favorite to win the award. The Texans selected the Ohio State product with the second overall pick in the 2023 Draft, and he passed for 4108 yards, 23 TDs, and just five interceptions over the course of 15 games.
Stroud led the entire NFL with 273.9 passing yards per game and helped the Texans win the AFC South and advance to the Divisional round of the playoffs with a dominant win over the Cleveland Browns before losing to the Baltimore Ravens.
However, if the list of finalists were expanded to six players, Addison certainly should have been considered for a spot. The receiver totaled 70 receptions for 911 yards and 10 TDs. Those 10 receiving touchdowns tied for the most among all NFL rookies this season along with Lions TE Sam LaPorta, who was named a finalist for the award.
In fact, even amongst all the historic talent at the receiver position over the course of the Vikings’ franchise, Addison was just the third rookie in Vikings history to record double-digit touchdown receptions. He joined Sammy White (1976) and Randy Moss (1998) by doing so.
Addison became a crucial part of Minnesota’s offense when Justin Jefferson went down with his hamstring injury. He turned in a couple incredible games over those seven weeks, including catching seven passes for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Vikings’ win against the San Francisco 49ers.
While Addison is not in the mix for the Offensive Rookie of the Year this season, he was named to Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie squad. He made that team alongside Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams at the wide receiver position, and LB Ivan Pace joined him as another Viking to make that team.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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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.