The Minnesota Vikings are set to enter the 2023 NFL draft with the 23rd overall selection. While this pick more than likely puts the team out of reach for any of this year’s top quarterback prospects, the Vikings find themselves to be in the perfect position to select the perfect Ellie to Justin Jefferson’s Joel for all of you The Last of US fans out there. While this year has its fair share of talent at the receiving position, Zay Flowers may cement himself at the top of that list in the coming years. There are four traits Flowers contains that makes him a must draft prospect for the #2 wide receiver desperate Vikings.
YAC Ability
For those of you who don’t know, YAC is not a giant ox who lives in the mountains. YAC is an acronym for Yards-After-Catch. This term is a one word description of a player’s ability to make plays happen while the ball is in their hands. The Deebo Samuel and Austin Ekelers of the world can turn a simple dump off into a crowd electrifying momentum swinger. This is a highly coveted trait, especially considering the four of the top six leaders in YAC were selected in the top two rounds of the NFL draft.
- Austin Ekeler
- Christian McCaffrey
- Travis Kelce
- Justin Jefferson
- Leonard Fournette
- AJ Brown
This premium trait has already proven itself to be valuable. For this reason, Flowers’ explosive YAC ability makes him an intriguing prospect for the Vikings front office. Flowers has regularly put on display his ability to make people miss. This example shows the ability Flowers possesses. Ryder McConville does a great job of breaking down the movement traits Flowers has regularly shown in his monster game against Duke. Link to his channel will be at the bottom.
Zay Flowers Dynamic Athleticism || Boston College WR – YouTube
The home run ability of Flowers is reminiscent of Deebo Samuel coming out of South Carolina. The ability to make people miss with your feet has the ability to consistently put a strain on the defense and a one-two punch of Flowers and Jefferson is the stuff of nightmares for defensive coordinators.
Positional Versatility
Flowers is by all means a receiver at heart. This is evident in his elite footwork and the attention to detail present in his route running. Despite this, Flowers possesses a versatility only matched by the already mentioned former Gamecock Deebo Samuel. Flowers has a history of being versatile not only as a receiver balancing the slot and outside role, but also as an offensive weapon as a whole. Flowers has taken his fair share of snaps lined up behind the quarterback ready to be the recipient of a handoff or screenpass, allowing Flowers’ YAC ability to be put on full display. Pro Football Focus tracked Flowers’ alignment over the course of his 2022 collegiate season and the results prove his versatility.
The versatility of a team has proven its effectiveness with the San Francisco 49ers. The nightmarish play design by Kyle Shanahan is further emphasized by the fact that Deebo Samuel, a player technically listed as a wide receiver is incredibly productive as a runner. Christian McCaffrey, a player technically listed as a running back is incredibly productive as a wide receiver, and George Kittle who is a wide receiver level threat despite being one of the best run blockers in the league. While the Vikings do not have the same personnel as the 49ers, the signing of runblocking specialist Josh Oliver could be an indication of a transition towards a more Shanahan heavy scheme. The presence of Flowers opens up the many possibilities present in a Shanahan style offense. By having this level of versatility, the Vikings not only select a talented receiver but they have selected a key that opens up a new look Vikings offense.
Elite College Tape and Production
Flowers certainly fills the part on paper, but does Zay Flowers act the part? After some digging the answer to no one’s surprise is a resounding yes. Flowers had a productive year while with the Boston College Eagles. Flowers totaled 1077 receiving yards in 12 games paired with 12 touchdowns in his final season in maroon.
The strength of Flowers comes from his lack of a weakness. Flowers’ positional versatility when combined with his tenacity and YAC ability are what make him such a phenomenal wide receiver prospect. Flowers regularly makes positive gains through dump offs and screen passes. This worked wonders for Boston College’s otherwise lackluster offense. With Flowers being a pretty consistent bright spot for the team. Speaking with Brett Kollmann of NFL Network and the Los Angeles Chargers, he had this to say about Zay.
“Zay Flowers is arguably the most versatile receiver in this entire draft class. His combination of route running, short area burst, long speed and YAC ability is scarily similar to a young Tyler Lockette or even some would argue a young Antonio Brown.”
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable and well researched person on YouTube; the traits Kollmann describes could be a perfect fit in Minnesota.
Minnesota Fit
While evidence suggests the Vikings intend to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins in the near future, Cousins ought to be excited at the thought of potentially having both Zay Flowers and Justin Jefferson to throw to next season under center. Cousins has repeatedly shown his proclivity to find safety valves when pressured, a role filled by Hockenson last season. While the pair of Hockenson and Jefferson resulted in a successful offense, the additional safety valve of Zay Flowers takes the pressure off of Cousins while allowing the offense to thrive through the trio of Flowers, Hockenson and Jefferson.
Flowers’ 4.42 40 yard dash time puts him in the 82nd percentile among receivers. This speed allows the Vikings to have a dynamic deep threat to pair with Jefferson’s precise route running. This presence of speed goes a long way in opening up an offense. Teams such as the Chargers have routinely struggled due to the lack of a vertical threat. By drafting Flowers, the Vikings would cement themselves as one of the fastest and most versatile receiving corps in the NFL.
This past season’s playoff games have shown the value of having a Robin to pair with a team’s Batman (or according to the Eagles, having three Batmans). Many of the top offenses in the NFL last season were the result of having a second threat when teams sell out to stop the first. Games against the Eagles and Lions last season proved to show the importance of a second threat considering the anemia of the Vikings offense when Justin Jefferson is stopped. The true value of a guy like Zay Flowers is the fact that teams would no longer be able to sell out just to stop Jefferson.
To illustrate the importance of a wide receiver two, I looked at the value each Robin brings to their team. I looked at the PFF grade of each team’s second highest graded wide receiver and compared that to each team’s points per game. The chart is a great demonstrator of the impact of having multiple hard to cover guys. While there are outliers with teams such as the Chiefs or Bills who have superheroes at quarterback, the trend points to the positive correlation between a team’s Robin and their offensive success.
The chart does not look at Batmen on a team and instead solely focuses on a team’s Robin. Perhaps the most illuminating aspect of the chart exists with the 49ers, Lions, Seahawks and Dolphins. While each of these teams have a good not great quarterback yet their offenses remain elite. This is more likely than not due to the production coming from the top two receivers of each team.
This chart is a perfect reason for the Vikings to consider Zay Flowers at the 23rd overall pick. Pairing the talents of Justin Jefferson and Zay Flowers not only give Cousins a safety valve in times of trouble, but also a certified weapon in an already effective offense.
So what do you think about Zay Flowers? If he is there at 23 should the Vikings take him? Leave your thoughts below and for everything Vikings and more, keep it right here on NFCNorthReport.com
https://www.youtube.com/@BrettKollmann
https://www.youtube.com/@rydermcconville
Great article, Asa! I agree with the Batman and Robin reference, you can’t have three Batman’s.