Another week, another milestone for Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings second-year wide receiver added another chapter to his historic start in Week 3 when he became the fastest Vikings player to reach 100 receptions in team history.
Jefferson's incredible skill set has been on display for more than a year now, and it was a main reason why he was recently tabbed as the Viking who could be the top two-way player if called upon.
ESPN's group of 32 reporters picked one player from each team in an idea that was inspired by Shohei Ohtani, a designated hitter/pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani's performance got NFL Nation thinking: Who in the NFL would absolutely crush it on both sides of the ball? So, we picked 32 players — one from each team — who have the skills, background or attitude to be a potential dual threat in the NFL. Some of these players actually played completely different positions in high school and college, and the others just have many useful ball, blocking or foot skills.
Jefferson was the pick made for Minnesota by ESPN Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin.
She wrote:
We got a glimpse of Jefferson's many talents on the football field outside of catching touchdowns when he turned an end around into an 11-yard pass to K.J. Osborn at Cincinnati. But the 22-year-old receiver's physical tools extend beyond football. Just ask Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who frequently invites Jefferson over to his home to shoot hoops.
"I was riding by the park a couple weeks ago and I saw him out there playing soccer," Cook said. "I was just like, 'What you doing?' " And in a very matter-of-fact manner, Jefferson told Cook that he found a group of people with whom he could play a pickup game. "He's just so talented," Cook said. "I believe he could play any sport he wants, if he puts his mind to it. That's just how his body is — he's agile, and just a good athlete, in my opinion."
So how might that athleticism translate to Jefferson playing both offense and defense? "I feel like he could play some safety or something," Cook said. "He's tough."
Jefferson leads the Vikings with 254 receiving yards. He ranks second with 20 receptions (one behind Adam Thielen) and is also second on the team with a pair of touchdowns. He has caught touchdown passes in back-to-back games.
Cousins rises in QB power rankings
Each week, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports unveils his weekly quarterback power rankings.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is on the rise in the most-recent edition of that poll, landing in the No. 11 spot.
Benjamin wrote:
He was overlooked because of their 0-2 start, but check the film and numbers: He's been slinging it with nice touch and should have the Vikings in every game, especially if it's high-scoring.
Cousins made a jump from being No. 13 the previous week. His two-spot leap was tied for the second-highest with Derek Carr (12th) and Joe Burrow (15th) among quarterbacks in the top half of Benjamin's rankings. Aaron Rodgers had a three-spot boost to take over the No. 1 spot.
Cousins is among the league leaders in a handful of stats. He is tied for first with no interceptions and ranks fourth in completion percentage (73.9), touchdown passes (eight) and quarterback rating (118.3). He is seventh overall with 918 passing yards.
