EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson's status as one of the NFL's best players has earned another endorsement.
The Athletic ranked the top 25 players under 25 years old, and Jefferson came in at No. 1. The Athletic's Mike Jones polled five NFL coaches and seven front-office executives and granted them anonymity so they could speak candidly about the players.
On Jefferson, he noted:
Already tied for the record for the fastest to reach 4,000 receiving yards in his career, and the owner of additional receiving records, the fourth-year pro seemingly is on pace to challenge for GOAT status. Our panelists unanimously agreed that Jefferson is the most dominant player at his position and, pound-for-pound, one of the best at any age at any position — but certainly among players 25 and under.
Jefferson edged out Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, and Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase rounded out the top five.
The highest-rated NFC North player after Jefferson was Lions tackle Penei Sewell.
On Sewell, Jones wrote:
As a second-year pro, Sewell displayed growth that made him one of the best young left tackles in the game and also helped Jared Goff and the Lions produce a top-five offense.
Jones said that Bears quarterback Justin Fields and Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson narrowly missed the cut.
Click here to read The Athletic's full list.
Do the Vikings have the best TE corps in the NFL?
The Vikings have invested in their tight ends room with hopes of being a more multiple and explosive offense.
After Head Coach Kevin O'Connell was highly complimentary of Johnny Mundt, SI.com FanNation's Chris Schad highlighted the Vikings tight ends by analyzing if they have the best tight end corps in the NFL.
"I don't want to cause any major headlines, but I believe Johnny Mundt is the best [No. 3] tight end in the National Football League," O'Connell said this week. "If there was a category for that, Johnny would certainly get that in my opinion."
Schad noted that reflects well on Mundt, as well as T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver:
The Vikings have plenty of depth at the tight end position heading into this season and with several different skill sets, it's possible that the NFL's best tight end room resides in Minnesota.
It starts with T.J. Hockenson, who arrived at last year's trade deadline. After being a solid but inconsistent receiver with the Detroit Lions, Hockenson was used in more of a possession role in 10 games with the Vikings, catching 60 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns.
If we project Hockenson's numbers over a full 17-game season, he would have caught 102 passes for 882 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikings.
Then Schad detailed why Oliver and Mundt can round out the group so well.
Oliver was graded as Pro Football Focus's No. 2 run-blocking tight end among qualifying tight ends (min. 100 snaps) last season, and the only player ahead of him was his Ravens teammate Isaiah Likely. With Hockenson sitting out Thursday's preseason opener, Oliver's prowess was on full display against the Seahawks, grading third among all tight ends in run-blocking heading into Sunday's action.
