Football | April 27, 2023
LOS ANGELES —USC wide receiver Jordan Addison was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday (April 27), as the No. 23 overall pick.
This marks back-to-back years that a Trojan wide receiver has been selected in the first round, as Drake London was taken No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 Draft.
Addison is USC’s 520th all-time NFL draftee. USC is second behind Notre Dame’s 522 for most NFL draft picks produced. He also is USC’s 85th first rounder, second most behind Ohio State’s 90. He continues USC’s streak of having a draftee every year since 1939, tied with Michigan. USC maintains the longest active streak (22 years) with a player drafted in the Top 3 rounds.
This is the fourth consecutive year that USC has had a first round pick: wide receiver Drake London was the No. 8 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 Draft, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker was selected 14th overall in 2021 by the New York Jets and offensive tackle Austin Jackson was the 2020 Draft’s 18th pick by the Miami Dolphins.
Addison is the 19th Trojan wide receiver drafted since 2000, including the 12th in the top two rounds.
He is the first Trojan picked by the Vikings since the inside linebacker Cameron Smith was selected in the fifth round with the 162nd overall pick in 2019.
Addison led the Trojan squad with 59 receptions for 875 yards (14.8 avg) and 8 touchdowns, as Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams’ favorite target, in 2022. He also tallied 33 rushing yards on 4 carries (8.3 avg) and returned 4 punts for 19 yards (4.8 avg).
He was a 2022 All-Pac-12 First Team honoree and a Biletnikoff semifinalist.
Addison started in every game he played in for the Trojans (11). He recorded 4 career 100-yard games while at USC.
Addison won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021 as the nation’s top receiver while playing at Pittsburgh. In his 2-year (2021-22) career at Pittsburgh, he had 160 receptions for 2.259 yards (14.1 avg) with 21 TDs, plus 75 carries for 114 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD, 14 punt returns for 200 yards (14.3 avg), 2 kickoff returns for 39 yards (19.5 avg) and a tackle. The 2021 consensus First Team All-American transferred to USC for his junior season in 2022.
The 2023 NFL Draft continues…
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