"A real weapon": What Vikings' brass is saying about 1st-round pick WR Jordan Addison
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings' brass is high on the team's first-round selection, wide receiver Jordan Addison.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell says the team is "very fortunate" that the USC receiver was available at No. 23. Addison was among a run of four receivers chosen in the latter half of the first round.
RELATED: 2023 NFL Draft: Track every Minnesota Vikings pick
"A really great scenario for the Minnesota Vikings. We added a really good player, an impact player at a very, very important position that continues to be a major position in our league as this game continues to evolve," O'Connell said.
O'Connell says Addison was both the best player available and provided a true "impact player" at a position of need.
"Combining him with our skill group as a whole, we feel like we're going to be able to attack some premier match-ups," O'Connell said. "Go win some one-on-ones and try to dictate that way if people want to try and defend us in certain kinds of ways. We feel like we've added a real weapon to combat that."
O'Connell is heard calling Addison a "day-one starter" in a video posted of the draft room.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah says Addison was somebody the team targeted early in the process.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft: A look at the last 10 years of Vikings' 1st-round picks
"Separation, sense in space, it's natural to him. A really good football player. Quiet, hard working, elevates those around him, he fits in our culture really well, so we're excited to add him," Adofo-Mensah said.
Meanwhile, Addison says he's ready to "get to work."
In the coming rounds, the Vikings have limited picks and a lot of needs. Adofo-Mensah could try to get back into the second round for another early impact player.
