Jordan Addison impressing early with Minnesota Vikings, said to be ahead of peers in minicamp
Jordan Addison finally got to return to a football field this week when the Minnesota Vikings opened up rookie minicamp.
The Vikings’ first-round pick from last month’s NFL Draft hit the field on Thursday, then was joined by Minnesota’s other five draft picks, 15 undrafted free agents, and an additional 21 minicamp invitees on Friday. He told reporters after the opening day that it was “relaxing” to be done with the pre-draft process and get back to “what I do best, which is playing football.”
And Addison has wasted no time diving in now that he has a playbook to learn and a new team to acclimate to.
According to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Addison had been meeting with the staff virtually since being drafted. That work, O’Connell said, has helped Addison move “a little bit ahead” of his peers.
“Where he’s lining up, understanding exactly what that play means for what routes he has and how to go adjust once the picture changes when that ball’s snapped,” O’Connell said. “But what I was really looking forward to just seeing is how he was moving — coming in and out of cuts and breaks and then attacking the football when it was in the air.
“I thought Jordan had a really, really good day and just looks and feels the part, which is exactly what I expected out of him. And he’s been champing at the bit to get going.”
Oh so smooth
3️⃣ @Espn_Jordan pic.twitter.com/949DbLfUna
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 12, 2023
Addison has always been about the work. He won a Biletnikoff as the nation’s top receiver at Pitt, then challenged himself in a new city with a new team in a new conference. And there he became the favorite target of the eventual Heisman Trophy winner.
And even though Addison has now made it to the league, that work ethic remains.
“It’s a lot. I’m not gonna lie. It is a lot, but you’ve just gotta put the time in. When you put your time in on your own, outside of the building, it’s going to come a lot faster,” Addison said. “I was studying last night when they first gave us the stuff. So when I came in, I had extra time when we got in the meeting to write the plays down and look over it. I feel like I’m pretty good right now.”
The Vikings will hold OTAs in late May and early June before a mandatory team minicamp on June 13-14.
Minnesota opens the 2023 season at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.