Justin Jefferson is a great fit for Vikings after Stefon Diggs trade

The Minnesota Vikings have the perfect Stefon Diggs replacement in Justin Jefferson.

When looking at the top offenses in the NFL last season, it was hard to gloss over the Minnesota Vikings. They had a top wide receiver duo in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs with a stud running back in Dalvin Cook. Add Kirk Cousins to the mix, and the end result saw the Vikings make an improbable run to the NFC Divisional Round.

But the Vikings opted to trade Diggs to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a loaded draft package. While those in Minnesota weren’t too pleased about the star receiver’s exit, they could take solace in the fact that they received an extra first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft to pick his replacement.

And sure enough, the Vikings got their guy in LSU’s Justin Jefferson.

Justin Jefferson fell right into Minnesota’s laps

No one believed that Jefferson would still be on the board at the 22nd overall pick. But that happened thanks in part to the Philadelphia Eagles passing over him in favor of TCU’s Jalen Reagor.

Jefferson is coming off a historic season with the Tigers, where he hauled in 111 receptions for 1,540 yards (both single-season program records) and 15 touchdowns (second behind teammate Ja’Marr Chase). Vikings fans are no doubt salivating after looking at those numbers, but can he potentially outproduce Diggs?

Jefferson didn’t really thrive when he lined up outside, but his strength comes in the slot. In fact, Jefferson accumulated 1,518 of his receiving yards when lined up in the middle last season, per Pro Football Focus. Let’s not forget that Jefferson put up those numbers in the SEC against pro-ready talent!

Ironically, there happens to be a vacancy at the slot receiver position in Minnesota. According to Pro Football Focus, Thielen lined up 369 times on the outside, and just 155 times in the slot. With that in mind, Jefferson can line up primarily in the slot for the Vikings, just like he did during his time in Baton Rouge.

All head coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak have to do is look at Jefferson’s game film and copy it. He can haul in passes (even one-handed) and put up a huge chunk of receiving yards. Trust us when we say that the Vikings will forget all about Diggs by the end of the 2020 season.