Justin Jefferson Was Made for the NFL

McCardell offered a chuckle and quickly downplayed the notion that Jefferson is anything but a team-first guy.

“I always want the guy that always wants the ball,” McCardell said. “That’s the mindset he’s supposed to have, and the mindset that I breed in [the wide receivers group].

“When you’re on the field and it’s a pass play? You should want the ball. Sometimes you may get labeled as a diva. But, really, no. It’s about wanting the ball,” McCardell added. “I think a diva shows people up and isn’t a part of what the team wants to do. Justin understands what his role is on this team, and he goes out and does it very, very well.”

In fact, McCardell added, if you really want to measure Jefferson on something, pick the thing beating inside his chest. His desire. His will.

“It’s a love for the game. He’s been brought up that way, being around his brothers. You’ve got to give everything you’ve got when you’re on the field,” McCardell commented about Jefferson’s heart. “You’re supposed to make plays and help your team win, whether it’s blocking, making a big play, short catch, long run, whatever. When it’s crunch time, he wants the ball.

“The guys that you know are big-time players, they want the ball in the moment of truth,” McCardell added. “If you want to judge a guy around the league, judge him by whether he steps up when it’s time to, or whether he fades into the background. He’s a guy that steps up all the time, and wants it all the time.”

Jordan Jefferson added: “He has that internal aspect of who he is helps make him the player he is. You can find anybody who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. But to have the tenacity, the desire to be great … that’s something where he separates himself from a lot of wide receivers.”