Richard Sherman has high praise for Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson: He plays 'like he's a five, six-year vet'

Jefferson has made a big impact during his rookie season

The 2020 wide receiver class is looking pretty special. That's something most draftniks figured would be the case leading up to the draft, and it's proven true during the players' rookie seasons. 

A whole bunch of these guys are already making a sizable impact. There's Jerry Jeudy in Denver, CeeDee Lamb in Dallas, Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco, Tee Higgins in Cincinnati, Michael Pittman in Indianapolis, Laviska Shenault in Jacksonville, Chase Claypool in Pittsburgh, Gabriel Davis in Buffalo, and even Darnell Mooney in Chicago. And of course, there's also Justin Jefferson in Minnesota. The Vikings had a big opening at receiver after trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills, and they filled it with the former LSU slot man. 

While he began the season a ways down the depth chart (he didn't start and played just 65 combined snaps in Weeks 1 and 2), Jefferson has exploded since then. Despite being targeted just 54 times (47th in the NFL), Jefferson ranks seventh in the league with 762 receiving yards. He's caught 77.8 percent of passes thrown in his direction and averaged 18.1 yards per reception -- elite marks for a player of any experience level. 

Now, he's drawing plaudits from one of the best cornerbacks in the league. On the Cris Collinsworth Podcast at Pro Football Focus, 49ers corner Richard Sherman showered Jefferson with praise. Here's the full quote: 

"I can't think of a comparison for him. He's very unique in his route-running. I think if you put some Marvin Jones, some Allen Robinson in there. At the top of his routes, he's very veteran. Even in his slants, he's able to put a little extra wiggle in a short amount of time that you have to run those routes. That's what's making it really, really difficult for defenders because he's a rookie and he's playing like he's a five, six-year vet. 

"And you gotta tip your hat to the kid because he's not only taking advantage of the opportunity but showing all the people who thought he was just a slot receiver, thought he wasn't a great route-runner — he's putting on a clinic, week-in and week-out. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a chance at a Pro Bowl this year, got some All-Pro consideration, just for what he's done. 

"He walked into a situation where Stefon Diggs had just been traded and [he had] huge, huge, huge shoes to fill and I think he's gone out there and they haven't really missed a beat."

One of the game's best corners advocating for a rookie receiver to be a Pro Bowler and/or receive All-Pro consideration is pretty incredible. Considering Jefferson has done what he's done so far on such limited volume, it's not hard to see him becoming even better over the next few years -- and he's already really good. The Vikings may not have known Jefferson would be on the board when they traded Diggs to the Bills, but they've got to be happy he was.