Jordan Addison Selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the First Round of the 2023 NFL Draft
USC wide receiver Jordan Addison was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 23 pick of the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.
With that selection, USC continues its streak of having at least one player selected in every NFL draft since 1939. Addison is the 85th USC player to be selected in the first round of the draft and pick No. 520 overall for the Trojans.
This is now four years in a row USC has had a wide receiver selected in the NFL draft. And Addison is the seventh USC wide receiver selected in either the first or second round since 2013. Drake London was selected No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons last year. This is the first time since 1993 and 1994 that USC has had wide receivers selected in the first round in back-to-back drafts. Curtis Conway was taken Nol 7 by the Chicago Bears in 1993. Johnnie Morton went No. 21 to the Detroit Lions the following year.
Addison will join Justin Jefferson in Minnesota to give the Vikings a tremendous duo out wide. Jefferson has three straight 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career. Last season, he caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards. Jefferson led the NFL in both categories.
Addison is the seventh USC player picked by the Vikings since 2004. That year, Minnesota selected defensive end Kenechi Udeze in the first round. Quarterback John David Booty was a fifth-round pick in 2008. Defensive end Everson Griffin went to Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. The Vikings took offensive tackle Matt Kalil and tight end Rhett Ellison in 2012. And linebacker Cameron Smith went to Minnesota in 2019.
Addison in College
Addison put together a stellar three-year college career. In two seasons at Pitt, Addison caught 160 passes for 2,259 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns. His 2021 season resulted in Addison winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver. He caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns that season, adding another score on the ground.
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In his one season at USC, Addison battled injury issues and missed several games. He still led the Trojans with 59 receptions for 875 yards and eight touchdowns. Addison had four 100-yard receiving performances in 2022, which included an 11-catch, 178-yard outing against UCLA in a close win. Even after missing games, he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2022.
Addison began the season with back-to-back two-touchdown games and scored six touchdowns in USC’s first four games. His biggest play of the season came late in a game at Oregon State when quarterback Caleb Williams found Addison for a 21-yard touchdown with just 1:13 remaining to give the Trojans a three-point lead and eventual win.
Addison was putting together a huge game at Utah before going down with an injury in the second half. He’d caught seven passes for 106 yards and a score, and added two carries for 27 yards. That game could have ended differently had Addison remained on the field throughout.
Addison came to USC as a major recruiting win via the transfer portal. He made plenty of noise before taking his first snap for the Trojans. Addison requested and received permission from Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Carson Palmer to wear Palmer’s No. 3 jersey during his one year at USC.
