Kevin O’Connell Peels Back Curtain on Vikings’ WR3 Battle
No shortage of digital ink has been spilled on dissecting the ongoing WR3 battle taking place in Minnesota.
Fittingly enough, Kevin O’Connell took some time to discuss the matter while chatting with the media on Wednesday. To his mind, the solution could end up being a single player or contributions from multiple. But, to be sure, he had a lot to say on the matter.
Kevin O’Connell and The Vikings’ WR3 Battle
Most assume that the main contenders are Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor, and Trent Sherfield. Very little from O’Connell’s answer will undercut that assumption.
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be competitive, for sure,” O’Connell begins. Shortly thereafter, there’s a reflection on Brandon Powell: “As many good things as Brandon Powell did for us last year, maybe without a lot of the time on task repetition in training camp, BP is able to take the experience that he had in LA in a similar offense and come in and apply not only the scheme, but the physicality and the want-to in the run game to try to play his role when we’re in 11-personnel.”
Starting with Powell makes sense. Right now, he looks like the clear favorite to take on the job. O’Connell’s answer reflects on how the veteran slot receiver already did some of those things last season and performed well, both in his understanding of the scheme as well as in his willingness to get involved as a run blocker.
Keep in mind that he was brought back and given a raise, seeing his cap charge rise to $2 million. Generally speaking, getting a raise is a sign that one’s employer is impressed, something that’s true both inside and outside of the NFL. Last season, Powell lined up in the slot for 263 snaps and out wide for 141 snaps.
But then there are other competitors. O’Connell moves onto mentioning the young options — think UDFAs, both new and returning — before settling into what Trent Sherfield may be capable of doing.
“Trent Sherfield is a guy,” O’Connell explains, “that’s always had a real mentality for being a multi-phase player, from a pass-game standpoint, yeah, but also what it’s like when that guy puts the pads on. The real guy kind of comes out.”
O’Connell thinks that Sherfield, someone who offers some good size at 6’1″, 205 pounds, will do better once the physicality picks up. Maybe the thinking is that Sherfield will be someone who helps with run blocking, a bit of a bruiser as a WR3/4 who can help to clear lanes for the Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler combo.
“We have to put the pads on, we have to see ultimately what the game is like in its truest form when we put those pads on and allow physical players, that maybe that’s their best skill set, allow those guys to do those things,” O’Connell goes on.
Notably, O’Connell shifts gears so that he can lasso Jalen Nailor into his answer. More of a speedster than a bruiser, Nailor would be on the field to challenge defenses deep. After the mention of Nailor, though, there’s a reflection on what will be needed from the Vikings’ WR3: versatility.
The thinking is that Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison get moved all over the place, so the WR3 can’t be just slot or outside receiver: “It’s really looking for a versatile, kind of all-down skill set, that might come from a collection of guys, it might come from one guy taking that job and running with it. So definitely going to be very competitive.”
Across his answer, Kevin O’Connell said a lot. Starting with Powell is a bit of a hint that he’s currently in the lead, but shoehorning in the mentions of Sherfield and Nailor is a good reminder that nothing is set in stone. Plus, there was a broad statement about the young receivers having their chance, too, so it’s not as if there are only a trio of names to remember.
Whoever emerges needs to not just catch passes but also be someone who can move around a lot and be involved as a run blocker. The person who can fulfill those job requirements will be the WR3.
Safe to say this competition is far from settled. If anything, it’s just getting started.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.