One Expected Competition Isn’t Happening This Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings secured only five players in this year’s draft after sending some capital away for Cam Akers and Dallas Turner. First-rounder Donovan Jackson is widely expected to slide into the starting lineup sooner rather than later, as he has already practiced with the first-team offense all offseason. He might be the only rookie to have a significant role, though.
A Tai Felton vs. Jalen Nailor competition hasn’t been on.
Some thought wideout and third-rounder Tai Felton could make some noise, but it seems as if the top three positions on the depth chart are taken.
So far, there hasn’t been much traction for Felton. It’s still Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, of course, as well as Jalen Nailor.
Vikings.com writer Craig Peters noted this week, “It could be J.J. to J.J. or to J.A. or to J.N. plenty of times this fall. McCarthy’s options of receivers will include Justin Jefferson (the best receiver in the game), Jordan Addison (off to one of the best two-year starts among Vikings WR ever) and Jalen ‘Speedy’ Nailor.”
Jefferson will try to form a connection with another passer after his seamless transition from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold. Jordan Addison is another QB-proof wideout who had success with the two aforementioned signal-callers, but also with Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens. Some also say he might have helped Kenny Pickett become a first-rounder in his time with him in Pittsburgh.
Unlike JJ and JA, Nailor isn’t as proven a receiver. Jefferson and Addison were obvious first-rounders, Nailor went in the sixth. In his NFL career, he was a depth receiver in year one, mostly hurt in year two, and had a breakout year three with over 400 yards and six touchdowns.
Nailor is a solid WR3 behind the two stars, but some Vikings fans thought his successor was drafted in April. Felton offers comparable speed in the 4.3-range, and he was productive at Maryland with 1,124 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his senior year.
Nailor arrived at this year’s offseason workouts after bulking up. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was asked about that, but he didn’t seem concerned about any lowered high-end speed: “He still hasn’t lost his ability to transition in and out of routes,” Phillips said. “So I expect big things from Speedy, and I thought he had a really good year last year. There’s certain plays that people can’t get out of their heads, but if you look at the body of work, the guy played really good football for us last year, and I expect similar things this year.”
Call it subjective, but the Nailor buzz coming from Eagan, MN, has been way louder than Felton’s. Furthermore, he has been too good to just be replaced by any incoming new receiver. Felton has to unseat him, and that won’t be easy.
Still, the rookie could make an impact early in the season, although probably behind Nailor. Addison’s legal case is ongoing, but there’s still a decent chance the third-year player is missing the first few games due to a suspension. Suddenly, Nailor is WR2 and Felton is WR3 (unless someone like Rondale Moore or Lucky Jackson is ahead of him).
The other route for an early impact is special teams. The return spots are vacant in Matt Daniels’ unit because punt returner Brandon Powell wasn’t re-signed for a third season, and kick returner Ty Chandler was ineffective in 2024. In addition to that, Felton’s speed makes him a perfect candidate for the punt gunner role.
It might not be on offense for a while, but the 22-year-old will get all the chances imaginable in the next few years to prove the decision-makers right.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.