EAGAN, Minn. — Justin Jefferson is the face of the Minnesota Vikings, and the headliner of one of the most talented wide receiver groups in the NFL. Everywhere he goes, he is noticed. Not only for the sparkle of a necklace afforded by one of the richest contracts in league history, but for the playful personality that’s summoned a national spotlight to a franchise still devoid of Super Bowl luster.
He is, by every measure of the word, a superstar.
It is close to the opposite effect with Brandon Powell, who resides in the same wide receiver room. At 5-foot-8, he is literally one of the shortest players at his position on this level. Undrafted back in 2018, he had all 32 NFL teams say no thanks despite his playing for the Florida Gators. He stands with the Vikings now, entering his second season with Minnesota, only after five other teams cut him or let him walk. The cameras rarely follow him. The defenders tower over him. The expert voices overlook him.
But not Justin Jefferson. Not the NFL’s smoothest playmaker.
“Aw, Brandon Powell,” Jefferson says after the Vikings’ final training camp practice of the summer. “He just reminds me of that little bulldog at the house. He’s a little feisty. That’s just BP. … I love him. I love his work ethic, coming to practice every single day. … You gotta know to know.”
Now, you will.
Like father, like son
Vikings fans know firsthand the downside of stern leadership. The team’s current regime, led by ever-optimistic coach Kevin O’Connell, arrived in part because the disciplinarian approach of Mike Zimmer failed to nurture star egos in addition to postseason victories.
Powell, on the other hand, likes himself a rigid teacher. When asked how he’s made it to this point, overcoming the odds as an undersized prospect to enter a seventh NFL season, he points first to former Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia, who was widely criticized for a polarizing…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/little-bulldog-brandon-powell-a-big-vikings-x-factor-as-wr-embraces-midwest-2024-super-bowl-hopes/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2024-08-23 17:49:33
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