Justin Jefferson tops list of best players under age 25 from The Athletic

A few months ago, the folks from Pro Football Focus put together their list of the 25 best players in the National Football League under the age of 25. That list had Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson at #2. Now, The Athletic has put together a similar list, and this time Jefferson is second to nobody.

Yes, Jefferson tops the Athletic’s list of the best players in the NFL under age 25. The PFF list had him finishing second to Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, but the list from The Athletic has those results reversed. Here’s what they had to say about the reigning Offensive Player of the Year:

Already tied for the record for the fastest to reach 4,000 receiving yards in his career, and the owner of additional receiving records, the fourth-year pro seemingly is on pace to challenge for GOAT status. Our panelists unanimously agreed that Jefferson is the most dominant player at his position and, pound-for-pound, one of the best at any age at any position — but certainly among players 25 and under.

We finally have a publication that’s in complete agreement about Jefferson’s standing among wide receivers, which is kind of nice.

Strangely enough, the other Viking that made the PFF list is nowhere to be found on the list from The Athletic. Offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw did not make The Athletic’s list of the top 25 players under the age of 25. There were three offensive tackles on the list (Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas, Penei Sewell), and I’m not attempting to disparage any of those three players because they’re all obviously really good. But you’d like to think there would be room on a list like this for the rapidly-improving Darrisaw. Unfortunately, at least for this season, that’s not the case.