Multiple factors led to coach Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings sticking with J.J. McCarthy as the franchise’s next starting quarterback this offseason, with McCarthy’s draft capital and rookie-scale contract near the top of the list.
Another factor that can’t be ignored? The Vikings deploy one of the NFL’s top overall skill position groups, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made moves at running back and wide receiver to make the offense even more dynamic in 2025.
The analysts at Pro Football Focus recently released a ranking of the NFL’s top receiving corps entering 2025 training camp, and Minnesota’s star-studded group led by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason slotted easily inside the top 10.
But should the Vikings have a case for No. 1 overall? Per PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, they’re surprisingly not even in the top 5:
“Minnesota claimed the fourth-highest team PFF receiving grade in 2024 (82.1). Justin Jefferson’s resume speaks for itself at this point,” wrote Sikkema, who has Minnesota ranked No. 6 overall. “(Jefferson) has logged five straight seasons with 88.0-plus PFF receiving grades and 2.40 yards per route run. Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones all recorded PFF receiving grades above 70.0 in 2024, and the Vikings also added Tai Felton, Rondale Moore and Jordan Mason to the mix for 2025.”
You could make an easy argument that the Vikings have the best all-around receiver in football in Jefferson, who just celebrated his 26th birthday and already has five seasons of at least 1,000 yards — including his 2023 campaign that was cut short due to a hamstring injury. Addison is a rising star at WR2, Hockenson is one of the top pass-catching tight ends in football, and the Vikings added a potential upgrade at WR3 this offseason in third-round rookie Tai Felton. Add in Jones’ 50-catch season in Year 1 with O’Connell last season, and it’s hard to find a weakness within this group.
Here’s who PFF has ranked ahead of the Vikings entering 2025:
- No. 1 — Philadelphia Eagles (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert)
- No . 2 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving, Cade Otton)
- No. 3 — Cincinnati Bengals (Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, Mike Gesicki)
- No. 4 — Detroit Lions (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta)
- No. 5 — San Francisco 49ers (Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle)=
It’s hard to argue against the reigning Super Bowl champs at No. 1, even though the Eagles attempted the fewest passes in football during the 2024 season. Spots 2 through 6 are highly debatable, however, and at the very least, it’s hard to justify the 49ers over Minnesota at No. 5.
San Francisco traded Deebo Samuel this offseason, and McCaffrey is coming off a season marred by knee and tendonitis issues. The WR1 comparison between Aiyuk and Jefferson alone is almost comically one-sided in Minnesota’s favor.
It’s probably too early to make the argument for No. 1 overall, as we’re still waiting on Addison’s true breakout season. With that said, the Vikings belong around the No. 4 spot in these rankings, with plenty of room to grow in 2025.
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