Jalen Nailor’s Tale of the Tape

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Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings moved on from wide receiver K.J. Osborn. He had been a reliable third option behind the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Adam Thielen. It was time to turn the page, though, and head coach Kevin O’Connell went with Jalen Nailor in his place.

Jalen Nailor’s Tale of the Tape

The former Michigan State Spartans wideout had consistently been praised for his abilities in practice. Unfortunately, he struggled to stay healthy and rarely saw the field. Nailor impressed enough during the preseason to win the job, and the Vikings saw him hold it down all season.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

In Osborn’s final year as the slot wideout, he racked up 540 yards. That was below the two previous 600-yard seasons, but still a respectable performance. He found the end zone three times and had a catch percentage of 64%.

This season, Nailor posted just 414 yards but scored six touchdowns and was a consistent outlet for quarterback Sam Darnold. He hauled in 66.7% of his targets, but there were some timely drops that can certainly be considered problematic.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

At 25 years old, Nailor played in what amounts to his first full season. This offseason should see significant development and building, which may excite the Vikings coaching staff and provide hope for another uptick in 2025. That said, he has missed enough time for the growth to be substantial.

Aside from the untimely drops, Nailor did enough to cement himself in the Osborn role this year. The Patriots released the departed free agent with just seven receptions, and he didn’t contribute for Washington after being briefly picked up. Nailor certainly cleared the bar of what both players produced in the immediate short term.

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Minnesota will have to decide whether what they saw from Nailor was enough to run it back. Last season, some believed someone like Hunter Renfrow, Robert Woods, or another veteran could make sense in that role. Those feelings may be present this time, and the options should have different faces.

If Nailor is going to be the choice once again, then Minnesota needs him to take what he did this season and improve upon it.

Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.