The stage was set for Justin Jefferson to become a Philadelphia Eagle at last year’s NFL Draft, but with the 21st pick, the Eagles decided to select TCU receiver Jalen Reagor instead.
The pick left many scratching their heads and the curious decision was only accentuated as the season went on and Jefferson became a breakout star with the Minnesota Vikigns and Reagor struggled.
Heck, even Jefferson thought he was going to be an Eagle.
“Leading up to the draft, you know, they had all of those mock drafts and people sharing their opinions on who is going to go where,” he said in an interview with GQ. “A lot of people had me going to Philly. And, I thought I was going to Philly. Honestly. The funny part is, Philly was on the board and then Minnesota called me. At first, I thought it was Philly. But, I answered the phone, and it was Minnesota. It’s crazy how all of that happened and everything.”
As if Eagles fans needed more salt in the wound, Jefferson made it clear he ended up in a better place.
“But, I’m definitely, definitely, definitely excited that I’m on the Vikings rather than Philly,” he said.
It is hard to argue against him, though.
Jefferson put together one of the greatest rookie seasons for a wide receiver ever while with the Vikings, breaking Randy Moss’ rookie receiving record with 1,400 yards. He also had 88 catches and seven touchdowns on top of that and only missed out on Offensive Rookie of the Year because of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Would he have had the same success with the Eagles? It is hard to say. Kirk Cousins played at a much higher level than Carson Wentz, who eventually lost the starting job to Jalen Hurts at the end of the season.
What is certain is that Jefferson would have been a much better weapon in the receiving corps than Reagor, who struggled in 11 games last season and missed time due to injuries.
Jefferson, who was the fifth receiver off the board in last year’s draft, also admitted that whenever he gets the chance to play the Eagles, there will be a little extra motivation heading into the game.
“I’ll always treat every game the same, no matter who I’m playing,” he said. “But Philly will definitely be edgier. You know, especially because they passed on me.”
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