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- Mar 19, 2019
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It wasn't only at home that Jefferson had to prove himself, however. Coming out of Destrehan High School (Louisiana), he was given zero stars by ESPN.
Looking back, he said it was hard to imagine he'd one day be wearing a Minnesota Vikings hat on night one of the draft.
"I was very small, undersized," said Jefferson, who jumped from 5-foot-7 to 6-1 during his junior year of high school. "Lightly recruited. The whole thing. Definitely didn't think this would be coming. Just being in this situation, not a lot of people can say that they were drafted – [especially] in the first round."
Jefferson, who ranked third in FBS with 1,540 receiving yards and helped the Tigers win the College Football Playoff National Championship, called it a blessing to receive a phone call from the Vikings.
"You only can thank God for putting me in this situation," Jefferson told NFL Draft co-host Maria Taylor. "It's a dream come true. I've been dreaming about it since I was a little kid, so finally being in this situation and going through this process, it's amazing, and it's [by the grace of] God."
NFL Network's Michael Irvin said he "loved" the selection of Jefferson at No. 22.
"This kid can flat-out play football," Irvin told NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah. "He made great plays deep, he made plays over the top of people, and … he can take short passes and make long plays out of them.
Jeremiah compared Jefferson to Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, a three-time Pro Bowler.
"His ability to separate, he catches everything, he's always where he's supposed to be. He's a pro." Jeremiah said. "I had a buddy in the league who said this was Gary Kubiak's favorite player in the draft. He's going to catch a million balls in Minnesota."
After getting in the end zone 18 times last season, Jefferson additionally garnered positive attention for his post-TD celebrations – which he now has the opportunity to bring to an NFL stage.
Taylor asked Jefferson if he plans to unveil any new moves in Minnesota.
"I haven't fully decided yet. I'm still going to have The Griddy in my backpack," Jefferson said of his go-to. "I'm definitely going to search for more dance moves to do in the end zone."
Minnesota boosted its offense with a selection that was acquired in March in a trade with Buffalo for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Jefferson, who was clocked at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, was ranked as the 14th-best player in the draft by NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
The last LSU receiver drafted in the first round was Odell Beckham, Jr., who was taken 12th overall by the Giants in 2014. He is the first LSU player to be drafted in the first round by the Vikings but will join fellow former Tiger Danielle Hunter, whom Minnesota snagged 88th overall in 2015. Hunter tweeted his support of the selection: