EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson is even more impressive in-person than he is on TV.
Rookie receiver Tai Felton has discovered exactly that in the months since being drafted by Minnesota in the third round.
Felton told reporters Wednesday he's been watching Jefferson — along with the entire football world — throughout his Vikings career. Now sharing a position room with him, he can attest "Jets" is the real deal.
"He's a funny dude, man," Felton said. "He's always joking and stuff like that, with everybody. He's a cool dude."
One of Felton's biggest takeaways after practicing with Jefferson has been the All-Pro's ability to disguise his routes.
"His stride length — he makes everything look like a go ball. You would never know what route he's running, because of the way he comes off the ball," Felton said. "He comes at the ball very aggressively, so when you're a DB and you see him, the way he comes off the ball, you don't know if he's running a hitch, if he's running an out route, if he's running a go ball.
"And then, just his hands," he added with a laugh. "He catches everything that comes his way."
Jefferson flashed a smile at media members the next day, towel draped across his head following a hot-and-humid afternoon practice session.
"It's great to be back," he said. "Great to have all the guys out here on the field competing and showcasing what we're going to see in a month or so. It's definitely exciting, just getting the rhythm of running routes full speed and just being back with the entire team."
Asked about Felton's compliments, Jefferson credited "a little mixture of both" natural ability and specific training.
"Definitely working on having as long of a stride length as I do, and being able to work that into my routes," Jefferson said. "You know, there are guys that have shorter center frame and have shorter legs, and they're able to cut and move a lot quicker. So just understanding my body and … the way it works."
Time flies when you're having fun, and it's hard to believe sometimes Jefferson is already entering his sixth NFL season. But he hasn't let anything become "old hat" to him, always working to become a better version of himself.
Jefferson said he spends time reflecting every offseason on his strengths and weaknesses from the 18-plus weeks prior.
"I feel like every year it's hard trying to outdo the previous year, but I also feel like that's what makes me, me," he said. "That's what makes me chase greatness."
That quality of Jefferson's rubs off on his teammates.
Jonathan Greenard, a year into sharing a locker room with Jefferson, pointed out that some players of his caliber would prefer to coast. He's yet to see that with last season's second-leading receiver.
"The great thing about Jets is he's not afraid to work. Some guys can be the best players and they don't like to work, they don't like they be touched, they don't like to get nitty-gritty," Greenard said, "and Jets ain't about none of that. I mean, Jets can come out, flashy, jewelry, whatever it is, but Jets is coming to work every single day.
"And he loves it," Greenard added. "He loves when guys are giving him their best. He knows he's gonna get their best because you're playing against the best receiver in the game. Every time you step across him, he's ready to go, and he wants you to bring it — and if not, he's going to embarrass you."
Jefferson acknowledged similar sentiments, emphasizing how much he appreciates the challenge of practicing against a Brian Flores-led defense.
After seeing so many double (and triple) teams throughout last season, Jefferson knows he can likely expect similar during the 2025 campaign and wants to be even more successful against them.
"I had a lot of double teams, a lot of press coverage to help over the top, so it's about getting stronger at the top and just getting better with my press coverage releases and just figuring out how to beat those double teams, which I'm going to be facing all year long," Jefferson said. "I can't just rely on getting man … all game, so just different ways to get in the open and of course talking to K.O. (Head Coach Kevin O'Connell) and to the rest of the quarterbacks and the team about different players and different schemes that we can use going forward."
Another aspect of Jefferson's focus this training camp is continued chemistry with J.J. McCarthy, who's been handed the reins at quarterback.
Jefferson noted McCarthy is "pretty much a rookie" after suffering a season-ending knee injury during last year's first preseason game, but he also expressed immense confidence in what McCarthy brings to the table.
"He's still new to the scheme, new to coming out here and throwing to these different receivers, so [you do] have to have some patience," Jefferson said. "You're not really expecting him to have the same mindset as a veteran. You can't really have that expectation of him; but we do have an expectation of him being great, him coming out here every single day and working his butt off and progressing.
"We see that progression on the second day of camp," he continued. "I feel like you see that confidence he has out there. If you're in the huddle, you see the confidence that he has, seeing him and play and getting out there and wanting to make the next play."
As Jefferson approaches the rest of Vikings training camp, he looks forward to seeing consistent growth from McCarthy and the rest of his teammates — and also from himself.
"Iron sharpens iron. They get me better, I get them better, and that's going to be every single day in this camp," Jefferson said of working against the defense. "If we're doing 1-on-1s, 7-on-7, team drills, we're out here to get each other better."
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