When ESPN surveyed more than 70 league executives, coaches and scouts to rank the NFL’s best wide receivers for 2026, Justin Jefferson landed at No. 2, trailing only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase. Senior writer Jeremy Fowler published the results Wednesday, and Jefferson registered a No. 1 or No. 2 vote on roughly 70 percent of ballots, with several evaluators calling him a cut above everyone outside the top spot.
The placement is notable because it follows the quietest statistical season of Jefferson’s career. He gained 1,048 receiving yards in 2025, a personal low, and most voters waved it off. “I go by who I’d want on my team in a game or a season, and I still think he’s super talented,” an AFC executive told ESPN. “A proven commodity that can do everything you need and can adapt to any defensive look.”
The résumé underneath still has no equal for its stage. Jefferson’s 8,480 receiving yards are the most by any player through six NFL seasons, and his six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns tie Randy Moss for the second-longest streak in Vikings history, behind only Cris Carter’s eight. He also produced against the heaviest coverage in the league: Jefferson was double-teamed on 53.4 percent of his routes in 2025, the highest rate among all receivers, and still led Minnesota in receiving.
The season before, with Sam Darnold under center, Jefferson cleared 1,500 yards. The distance between that total and last year’s 1,048 is mostly a quarterback story, and it happens to be the one variable Minnesota spent the offseason trying to settle. The competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will decide who throws to the most double-teamed receiver in football.
For Kevin O’Connell, that decision carries more than the usual weight. His offense already tilts coverage toward Jefferson on nearly every snap, which is what frees everyone else. A quarterback who can consistently punish those looks is the difference between a No. 2 ranking and another 1,500-yard season. The Vikings open camp with rookies reporting July 26 and veterans July 28, and the passer who emerges will shape Jefferson’s 2026 numbers more than anything the receiver himself can change.
