The Minnesota Vikings selected KJ Osborn, Wide Receiver, out of the University of Miami (FL). . He was the 31st pick of the fifth round and was the 27th wide receiver drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Biography
KJ Osborn is 6’0” and 203 pounds. He played three years at the University at Buffalo before transferring to Miami in 2019. He redshirted in his first year at Buffalo. He will be 23 years old at the beginning of the 2020 NFL season. Osborn only played one season in Miami. He transferred from Buffalo after the 2018 graduation class left too many voids in the depth chart for the team to be viable. In his lone season with the Hurricanes, he led them in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
College Production
KJ Osborn broke out at the age of 21 (age during their first season with a 20% receiving dominator rating) in his third season and it was his best season for the Bulls. Osborn had 58 catches, for 908 receiving yards, and five scrimmage touchdowns for a receiving dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s receiving yards and receiving touchdowns) of 23.1% (24th percentile). Osborn had unremarkable age-adjusted production. He averaged 522.5 scrimmage yards (35th percentile) and 4.0 scrimmage touchdowns (34th percentile) per season for an average scrimmage dominator rating (average percentage of their team’s scrimmage yards and scrimmage touchdowns) per season of 9.4% (35th percentile). Osborn wasn’t overly efficient with the offense either and averaged 0.58 scrimmage yards per team play (34th percentile). Osborn contributed a lot on special teams as well. He had 82 returns, for 1,240 return yards, and zero return touchdowns.
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Athleticism
KJ Osborn has a respectable height-adjusted speed score of 99.4 (66th percentile) after running a 4.48-second 40-yard time at the NFL Combine. He has an excellent burst score of 125.3 (75th percentile) and a below-average agility score of 11.35 (34th percentile). Osborn is a slot receiver that has the size and quickness to create yards after the catch but also can stretch the defense vertically.
NFL Landing Spot
Minnesota Vikings: Stefon Diggs is gone to Siberi…Buffalo, he’s in Buffalo. Diggs accounted for 20% of the team’s targets. While that might not seem like a staggering amount, to narrow focus, the Vikings targeted wide receivers 209 times, meaning that Diggs accounted for 45% of the wide receiver targets. In fairness, Adam Thielen only played in 10 games, and is a productive receiver when healthy. When playing in 16 games, Thielen was a WR1 in 2017 and 2018. The Vikings were a top 10 offense in 2019, but are continuing to favor the run, rushing the third highest percentage of all teams. They are so committed to run, that they even went so far as to fire a previous offensive coordinator who wasn’t committed enough. Despite the lack of attempts, Cousins was the fourth highest rated passer of 2019 and was above league average targeting almost every area of the field. When Diggs departed, the depth chart behind Thielen consisted of Bisi Johnson (who was fine in relief last year), Chad Beebe and Alexander Hollins. The team signed Tajae Sharpe, who was efficient but never played a major role in Tennessee. This is a team that needs another WR. While they surely will continue to favor the run, the hole that Diggs left is enormous. Thielen’s health doesn’t seem to be a guarantee at age 30, and the Vikings can move on from him after this season if they choose. Whoever the Vikings bring in will be able to compete to be the 1B to Thielen’s 1A, and has a chance to usurp Thielen if he misses time and/or is gone in 2021.
***Editor’s Note*** The Minnesota Vikings selected Justin Jefferson in the first round of the draft.
Rivals’ Rapid Analysis
KJ Osborn had mediocre age-adjusted production and intriguing size and athleticism for a slot receiver. Osborn has the ability to attack defenses around the line of scrimmage or vertically in the NFL. The Vikings invested little draft capital into Osborn. He has equally little opportunity and will compete with Thielen, Jefferson and Cook for targets from Cousins.
KJ Osborn falls outside of Dave’s top 25 wide receivers and is not a target in rookie drafts. He had below-average age-adjusted production despite being a strong athlete. It was valuable seeing that he could still perform after a jump in competition level when he transferred from Buffalo to Miami. The Vikings aren’t a very attractive landing spot in their run-heavy, 12 personnel offense. He has a chance to compete on special teams and as a depth receiver with Olabisi Johnson and Chad Beebe. If you are a fan of KJ Osborn, then you can safely target him in the late fourth round or as a waiver wire target after your rookie draft. Otherwise, you can target other players with more upside in the fourth round of rookie drafts.
KJ Osborn was ranked outside the top 40 receivers. Shawn isn’t targeting Osborn in any superflex rookie drafts or single QB. Osborn is in an awful landing spot on a run heavy team that already spent significant capital to land their guy. Leave him on the wire and pay for him if an injury happens, not before.
This article was written in collaboration with Shawn Kennedy. For more analysis check out Dave and Shawn’s previous articles at Dynasty Football Factory. Additionally, you can also find Dave’s dynasty superflex rankings at Dynasty Football Factory. Stay tuned for more rookie wide receiver rapid reaction articles from us throughout the entire NFL Draft. We will also give you instant reactions for priority UDFA wide receivers to help you try and find the next Adam Thielen. Interact with Dave and Shawn on Twitter @ff_spaceman and @ff_walrus. You can listen to our rivalry on our podcast @ATaleofTwoRivals with @ff_banterman.
Information found in this article was gathered from @ff_spaceman’s College Prospect Database, PlayerProfiler.com, Sports-Reference.com, AirYards.com, and a prospect’s college team website.
