Is Jordan Mason Too Perfect of a Fit for Minnesota?
Too perfect? What does that even mean? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Would it be better if Jordan Mason didn’t fit “too perfectly?”
Well, “too perfect” isn’t a bad thing, and it’s not meant as a slight against the 25-year-old back out of Georgia Tech. Mason is a welcome addition to a Vikings running back room in need of young talent, and Mason meets that criteria while also providing legitimate NFL experience to this point.
Minnesota acquired him on Saturday night from the San Franciso 49ers for a 6th-round selection in next year’s NFL Draft that the Vikings received from the Houston Texans in exchange for G Ed Ingram, as well as a 6th-round pick swap in this year’s draft.
Mason is a very well-balanced back, running with enough speed to win most foot races and enough power to make opposing defenders wish they took the play off. He will immediately slide in as RB2, providing a legitimate threat for opposing defenses and running-mate for the aging Aaron Jones, as well as potentially making Ty Chandler consider who his next team will be sooner rather than later.
Now, where does the “too perfectly” come from? Well, the PFF grades.
Love ’em or hate ’em, these grades usually paint a decent picture and are the best frame of reference for conversations like these, other than grabbing a cold beverage and grinding some good ol’ fashioned film. It is, however, funny to see just how similarly Mason performed to Minnesota’s top two backs in 2024, Jones and Cam Akers.
Among the 63 running backs around the league that had at least 60 carries in 2024, Jones, Mason, and Akers ranked 23rd, 24th, and 25th in rushing grade, respectively. They all finished within .6 of a point with each other: Jones with 76.5, Mason with 76.1, and Akers with 75.9. They also all finished within about 3 points of each other in total offensive grade: Jones with 75.4, Mason with 72.7, and Akers with 72.4.
Where Mason separated himself from the others was his average yards per carry of 5.2, whereas Jones and Akers both averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. Mason has never averaged below 5.2 yards per attempt through the first three seasons of his career, his best mark coming in his rookie year in 2022 with 6.0. His 5.2 yards per carry in 2024 was 6th in the NFL among running backs with the aforementioned qualifications, just .5 yards less than Saquon Barkley.
He also only had three fewer runs of 10+ yards (23) than Jones (26) on a whopping 138 fewer carries and six more than Akers (17) on 54 more carries.
The slightly concerning metric that Mason matches Jones in is fumbles. Both he and Jones had the same number of touchdowns as fumbles last season, with Jones having five in each category and Mason having three.
Only one of Mason’s fumbles ended up being a turnover, but it goes without saying ball security is paramount in the NFL when trying to establish a legitimate running game. In fairness, the first of those three gaffes was the very first of Mason’s career, but it is still something to keep an eye on.
If there’s a simple way to explain what the expectation for Mason as a player should be, it’s that he is what Alexander Mattison was supposed to be. Mason has the former Vikings RB beat on speed, but his running style seems similar to that of Mattison but better.
Mason is a very high-floor move for the Vikings and is potentially another signal that Kwesi and Co. are not keen on spending legitimate draft capital on the running back position.
