Vanchi “Van” Jefferson is a wide receiver for the 2021 Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. Growing up in Brentwood, Tennessee, he became an All-State football player and 4-Star recruit at Ravenwood High School. After originally committing to Georgia, he opted to decommit and sign at Ole Miss. He redshirted his freshman year, but finished second on the team the following season with 49 receptions and 543 receiving yards. Fate would rear its ugly head in 2017, as he was usurped by A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and DaMarkus Lodge in the team’s pecking order and his target share freefalled.
Cast aside, Van Jefferson transferred to the University of Florida, where he was immediately crowned the team’s go-to option. He closed the book on his college career with 89 receptions, 1160 receptions, and 12 touchdowns in his two years as a Gator. After impressing scouts with his college stats and Senior Bowl performance, he attended the 2020 NFL Combine. He checked in with solid size, standing at 6-2, but his 9 ⅛ inch hands were well under average. None of that mattered, though, once he put his wheels on display, running a 4.39 second 40 time. The league was bought in, and the Rams selected him with the 25th pick of the second round of the NFL Draft.
Jefferson only saw the field for 244 snaps, running 143 routes his rookie season. Jefferson struggled to see the field, and ended the season with12 games of 1 reception or less. A new quarterback coming to LA would change the youngsters outlook. To start the second year of his contract, in his first game with Matthew Stafford, he embarrassed the Bears secondary on a 67 yard touchdown. Despite a fluctuating role with the exit of Robert Woods and the signing of Odell Beckham Jr., Jefferson checked in with presentable next gen stats. He wasn’t used heavily, but 17 deep balls, 244 yards after the catch, and 24.6-percent air yards share is certainly a step up. He corralled 50 of his 89 targets, but his 11 drops led all wide receivers (eat your heart out, Diontae Johnson). His fantasy ranking and ADP sit outside of the top 50 wide receivers, which is a fair evaluation considering his age and role.
