NFL young talent rankings: No. 7 Vikings boast league's top WR in Justin Jefferson

The Minnesota Vikings might not be the first team you think of when you think of young talent. Their quarterback is a long-time veteran in Kirk Cousins. The team was active in free agency. But it isn't necessarily how many of their players are within the first five years of their careers — it's the caliber of those players. 

Wide receiver Justin Jefferson tops the list. But the Vikings also have one of the best left tackles in the league in Christian Darrisaw, who is criminally underrated, if you ask me. They also went out and got cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. this offseason and drafted an exciting young receiver in Jordan Addison who figures to have a major workload right off the bat. The Vikings also traded for tight end T.J. Hockenson in the middle of last season and were incredibly better off for it.

So let's take a closer look at how much impact these young players will have on Minnesota's success and quest for a second-straight NFC North title.

Young core

WR Jordan Addison
QB Jaren Hall
G Ed Ingram
OT Christian Darrisaw
G Ezra Cleveland
WR Justin Jefferson
WR K.J. Osborn
TE T.J. Hockenson
RB Alexander Mattison
TE Josh Oliver
LB Brian Asamoah II
CB Andrew Booth Jr.
S Lewis Cine
CB Akayleb Evans
CB Byron Murphy Jr.

Standout: Justin Jefferson

Obviously. Jefferson was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year last season after leading all qualified receivers in most major receiving categories, including yards (1,809), receptions (128) and targets (184). The offense lives and dies with Jefferson, and coincidentally how much quarterback Kirk Cousins trusts him. In 2022, there was an emphasis on "opportunity balls" as head coach Kevin O'Connell calls them. That translated into Cousins basically throwing the ball to Jefferson whether he was open or not. Jefferson rewarded him, though. And the offense averaged 24.9 points per game, which was good for a top-10 ranking. The Vikings ranked sixth in passing yards with nearly 4,500. That means Jefferson alone accounted for about 40 percent of their passing offense. He has also accumulated more receiving yards than any other player in NFL history through his first three seasons with a total of 4,825. The Vikings' offense is Jefferson and it's perhaps why Minnesota is ranked so highly on this list.

Potential breakout: Lewis Cine

Injuries have hampered Cine's start to his career but the Vikings are hoping all of that is behind him. After breaking his leg in the team's London game last fall, and having to remain in the UK to undergo surgery, it was a long and often isolating year for the first-year player. But he made plays in training camp, and though he was held out through the team's preseason contests, all signs point to him being ready to go for Week 1.

If Cine stays healthy, he could be an impact player on this revamped Vikings defense under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. His is an aggressive scheme that gets all levels of the defense involved in the pass rush while also varying coverages. Cine, who was known at Georgia for his downhill ability and physical play style, can fit right into Minnesota's system and get those splashy stats that mark a breakout candidate.

Contracts to Consider: Justin Jefferson

This is the big one, not just for the Vikings, but for the NFL as a whole. Ever-escalating receiver salaries make it hard to know where Jefferson's ceiling even is. He is absolutely going to expect to be the highest-paid receiver in the league and he's justified in that. Spotrac has his market value at $28.7 million per year but Miami's Tyreek Hill makes $30 million a year. Wideout salaries are expected to eclipse that mark but you have to wonder where it ends. Because of that, the Vikings would be wise to sign Jefferson to a long-term deal sooner rather than later. They technically have until 2025 thanks to his fifth-year option taking him through the 2024 season, but by then the Vikings could be looking at an average annual contract value closer to $35 million. If Jefferson continues on the pace he's already set, he'd be worth it, too.

Key stats 

• Justin Jefferson, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, broke the NFL record for most receiving yards in his first three seasons (4,825).
• Jefferson is one of six players to record 1,800 receiving years in a single season (Calvin Johnson, Cooper Kupp, Julio Jones, Jerry Rice, Antonio Brown).
• T.J. Hockenson is sixth among all tight ends in receiving yards, tied for fifth in receptions, and tied for seventh in touchdowns since entering the league in 2019.
• Christian Darrisaw recorded a 90.4 overall offensive grade last season, third-best among all tackles (per PFF).
• Ezra Cleveland recorded a 79.7 run block grade, sixth-best among all guards (per PFF).

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Inside info

Lewis Cine: If physicality is what you're looking for, keep your eyes trained on Cine — opposing receivers crossing the middle certainly are — as he is already one of the hardest hitters in all of the NFL. That is quite a statement given that Cine is actually a bit undersized for safety at just under 200 pounds. As his 4.37-second time in the 40-yard suggests, however, Cine is an explosive athlete whose collisions are very real manifestations of the force created when speed and power meet. 

It was good to see him back on the field, playing as aggressively as ever, against Seattle in the preseason opener after the broken leg suffered in Week Four last year ended his rookie season so abruptly. —FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst Rob Rang

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.