Former LSU star Justin Jefferson suffers shoulder injury

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffered an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder Friday at practice, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sources told Schefter the injury was defined as “nothing serious”, but further tests on the shoulder will be completed this weekend.

There’s video of the practice injury as it happened, below.

Better video of the Justin Jefferson injury at practice. He lands hard on his left shoulder and is in obvious pain. Not what you want to see.

(🎥 @AndyMacSports)

pic.twitter.com/a3MJAYg5MM

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 6, 2021

Primed for another big season

Jefferson exploded onto the scene last year as a rookie, earning Rookie of the Year honors from PFF. He’s now in his second year with the Vikings. Many people expect big things from him once again in the 2021 NFL season.

Historic rookie season

As a rookie, Justin Jefferson was targeted 125 times, catching 88 passes for 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. There were a number of impressive stats about his rookie season that made him worthy of winning Rookie of the Year honors. Let’s take a look at a few of those stats, courtesy of Dustin Baker at purpleptsd.com.

• Jefferson’s 1,400 receiving yards were the most by a rookie wideout in NFL history.
• He led the NFL in 25-plus yard receptions (16).
• Randy Moss had four games in 1998 with 100-plus receiving yards. Jefferson recorded seven such games in 2020.
• Jefferson received a better Pro Football Focus grade than Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, and D.K. Metcalf.
• Justin Jefferson had more receiving yards and more receiving touchdowns than DeAndre Hopkins in 2020.
• Jefferson had the most receiving yards in Vikings history by a man not named Randy Moss.

LSU national championship

Justin Jefferson was an integral piece to the LSU’s 2020 National Championship. He teamed with Ja’Maar Chase, Joe Burrow, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, to form one of the greatest offenses in college football history. He teamed up with quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to become the first team in college football history with a: 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.

The 2019-2020 LSU offense set school records for four major categories: points, point per game, total offense, and passing offense.

Jefferson teamed up with wide receiver Ja’Maar Chase as the most productive duo in college football history. They combined for 195 receptions, 3,320 yards, and 38 touchdowns in the 2019-2020 season.

Jefferson led the SEC in catches in 2019 (111) and ranked second in the league in receiving yards.