Vikings Speed Demon Is about to Beat the Odds

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Lucky Jackson carries the ball during second-quarter action as Cleveland Browns tight end Treyton Welch attempts to bring him down. The play occurred on Aug. 17, 2024, at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, during a preseason matchup between the two teams. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images.

Did you know? As of August 6th, 2025, Lucky Jackson is the WR4 for the Minnesota Vikings.

A speed merchant for the Vikings has turned heads all camp long, and now the wide receiver may be closing in on a roster spot. Here’s why he could make the 53.

It’s true. It’s damn true.

The Vikings released a preseason depth chart on Wednesday — usually a decent indicator of the roster pecking order — and with little fanfare, Jackson has been appointed the WR4.

Heading into the summer, some run-of-the-mill depth charts listed the man around WR8 or WR9.

Vikings Speedster on Track to Make the 53-Man Roster

The man called Lucky is doing the thing.

Minnesota wide receiver Lucky Jackson celebrates after making a special teams tackle in the third quarter of a preseason contest. The play occurred on Aug. 10, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Jackson made his presence felt against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

Lucky Jackson Takes the Summer by Storm for Vikings

Jackson has been a part of the Vikings enterprise for two seasons — three if one includes this summer. He’s a practice squad guy with a cool name. He’s also fast as hell, running a 4.36 forty coming out of college in 2020.

Here’s the man’s resume. He even played for something named “The Spring League Blues” in 2021, which sounds like a YMCA-adjacent league:

Unemployed (2020)

The Spring League Blues (2021)

Edmonton Elks (2022)

DC Defenders (2023)

Minnesota Vikings (2023–present)

This guy is a real rags-to-riches story, particularly if he maintains the WR4 job throughout the preseason and into September.

Depth Chart Confirmation

Minnesota released the aforementioned depth chart, and here’s how that badboy looks at wide receiver:

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jalen Nailor

Lucky Jackson

Tai Felton

Rondale Moore

Tim Jones

Dontae Fleming

Jeshaun Jones

Myles Price

Thayer Thomas

Robert Lewis

Silas Bolden

Plenty of names, the by-leaps-and-bounds surprise is Jackson nestled in the No. 4 spot. It’s also a bit strange that Bolden, a promising and talented undrafted free agent rookie, is utterly buried. But that pales in comparison to Jackson’s breakneck roster climb.

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean forces Minnesota wide receiver L. Jackson out of bounds to prevent a touchdown during the first quarter. The play took place on Aug. 24, 2024, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports.

Jackson is like Rocky in the third movie trying to knock out Clubber Lang in the second fight. Rocky did precisely that.

In the Flesh Training Camp Appeal

Why is Jackson in the mix as WR4? Because of plays like this in Eagan:

Oh, don’t forget this one:

For two weeks, boots on the ground at TCO Performance Center have relayed intel that Jackson is morphing into the real deal. The man looks like a stud, especially compared to his UDFA peers.

The training camp momentum has transferred to the depth chart, and lucky for Lucky, the preseason is about 72 hours away, allowing the former UFLer to put a stranglehold on his apparent WR4 job.

A Depth Chart Screaming for Playmaker Help

Guess what? Jackson’s job title could very easily shapeshift into WR3. Wipe that smile off your face; VikingsTerritory isn’t kidding.

Jordan Addison hauls in a touchdown pass for Minnesota while San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw gives chase. The scoring play happened in the first quarter on Oct. 23, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as Addison continued his strong rookie season. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

Jordan Addison will miss the regular season’s first three games because of tomfoolery in California, and aside from the otherworldly Justin Jefferson and thisworldly Jalen Nailor, head coach Kevin O’Connell will need a hungry wideout to fill the void.

Jackson won’t play as productively as Addison — few do — but everyone on the WR depth chart beneath Addison will move up a spot for three weeks.

And yes — that transforms Jackson from a WR4 into a WR3.

Other Lucky Takes

Zone Coverage‘s Tyler Ireland opined this week on how Jackson’s standout performance at training camp is making roster cuts rather complicated.

He wrote, “There’s a scenario where the Vikings could keep Jefferson, Nailor, Felton, Jackson, Jones, and Moore on the active roster until Week 4. However, it would force the Vikings to sacrifice depth at another position. I’m sure Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would love to keep Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn, Bo Richter, Gabriel Murphy, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Levi Drake-Rodriguez all on the active roster rather than the practice squad.”

“But if they kept all six receivers, one of those players would need to clear waivers and make the practice squad. Ty Chandler is projected to make the roster as RB3 due to his return experience, but he hasn’t looked great in training camp. For example, Eric Wilson stripped Chandler on Day 7 of training camp.”

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers wide receiver L. Jackson makes a touchdown catch in the end zone during a non-conference game against Eastern Kentucky. The moment was captured on Sep. 2, 2017, at Houchens-Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports.

It’s also worth noting that Jackson will grab ample playing time in the preseason to make his case for the active roster.

“Chandler also struggles in pass pro, so maybe the Vikings could justify waiving him and keeping three RBs on the roster, including C.J. Ham. No matter how you slice it, Lucky Jackson’s unexpected emergence will force Minnesota to make a difficult roster decision come cutdown day,” Ireland continued.

“Do they waive a veteran receiver who can help them on special teams, risk waiving a training camp standout at a deep position, or waive an underperforming player at a position where they already lack depth? It may be a good problem to have, but that doesn’t make the decision any easier.”

If Jackson does not make the September roster, folks will look back and wonder just how in the hell he pulled off a fabulous trianing camp and unexpected WR4 job on the first depth chart release.