K.J. Osborn Has His Sights Set on a Big 2022 Season
Josh Frey
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After being a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, K.J. Osborn was unable to crack into the lineup for a single snap with the offense during his rookie season. He was stuck on the special teams as a return man. He had a total of 21 returns (14 kick, 7 punt) and totaled 330 yards. No one would have expected what was to follow in 2021.
After an outstanding summer, Osborn went from a player that couldn’t garner a snap in 2020 to starting Week 1 the following year. Playing all 17 games, the second-year receiver tallied 50 receptions, 655 yards, and 7 TDs. He’s expecting even bigger things in 2022.
In a piece by Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press, Osborn relayed a few of these goals. First and foremost, he wants to be a big-time playmaker for the Vikings. With 4.43 40-yard dash speed, the 24-year-old certainly has the size to be a deep-threat player.
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That sort of potential was never really unlocked in 2021 though, with most of his targets coming in the short-to-intermediate distance. Only 19 of his 82 targets were considered “deep” or 16+ yards, per Sharp Football Analysis. He caught 10 of them for 313 of his yards.
This is actually a very high rate of success for how little the Vikings used him in these sorts of situations. For reference, Justin Jefferson had 45 “deep” targets and caught 22 of them. Certainly, it’s a different sample size, but the fact that Osborn had a higher success rate than Jefferson on deep balls is telling.
This is a very important season for the third-year receiver in a number of different ways. Of course, his consistent improvements bode well for the Vikings experiencing some team success for the first time in his career. Looking even further, this could be an important year for Osborn’s wallet as well. He is eligible for a contract extension next offseason. If he goes for 1000 yards like Patrick Peterson believes he can, that offer will grow.
Mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, so we will soon see what kind of work he has put in this offseason.
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