The most impressive moment receiver Jalen Nailor has put on tape during his emergence with the Vikings happened so fast that most people probably missed it.
Fitting. His nickname is Speedy after all.
It wasn’t the notable patience he displayed on a 21-yard touchdown against the New York Giants. It wasn’t the incredible athleticism he showed while contorting his body on a 26-yard gain against the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn’t the crisp route he ran or the contested catch he made on a 4-yard touchdown against the Houston Texans.
No. It was how incredibly fast Nailor looked while chasing down star receiver Justin Jefferson on a 97-yard touchdown against the 49ers that set U.S. Bank Stadium ablaze. Just go back and watch the replay and pay attention to how much ground Nailor covers in pursuit.
“I had him about 30 yards behind Justin when he caught that ball,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I thought Speedy’s finish to escort him into the end zone was phenomenal.”
Though most people have become familiar with Nailor this season as the third-year player has carved out a niche for himself in Minnesota, the legend of Speedy was born a couple of decades ago about an hour north of Los Angeles.
As an undersized kid playing Pop Warner for the Lancaster Jets, Nailor was without a doubt the fastest kid on the field. His father Jay Nailor remembers being slightly nervous watching his son play until he realized that nobody could catch him.
His peers started calling him Speedy, for obvious reasons, and the nickname became synonymous with Nailor. It’s followed him every step of his career, including now with the Vikings, where he has emerged as an important part of the offense.
“I feel like Speedy has game speed,” quarterback Sam Darnold said. “Just the way he’s able to go play fast and make plays has showed up on game days.”
That’s something former Bishop Gorman head coach Kenny Sanchez noticed about Nailor when he arrived at the prep school in Las Vegas.
“Well, there were people calling him Speedy, so we had a pretty good idea he was going to be fast,” Sanchez said with a laugh. “We noticed it as soon as he got into the field. You can’t teach that type of speed. It was in his DNA.”
That speed helped Nailor dominate at Bishop Gorman. He scored 28 touchdowns, earning several scholarship offers in the process before committing to Michigan State.
“We played against some really good competition,” Sanchez said. “There were always bunch of talented guys chasing him around in the secondary and it never mattered because he was so fast.”
It wasn’t long after arriving at Michigan State that Nailor started to live up to his nickname. He quickly established himself as a deep threat for the Spartans, and while he battled injuries throughout his time in college, he finished his tenure with 86 receptions for 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns.
That production was enough for the Vikings to take a chance on Nailor in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Naturally, Nailor made a good first impression largely because of his speed, and the Vikings were bullish on developing him into a complete player although injuries continue to be an issue.
The payoff has come over the past few weeks as Nailor has stepped up in place of the injured Jordan Addison. As the secondary option behind Justin Jefferson, Nailor has caught a touchdown in back-to-back-to-back games.
“We’ve been excited about Speedy ever since we got him,” offense coordinator Wes Phillips said. “When he’s been available for us, he’s been consistently able to win and separate, and we’ve got a lot of trust in him.”
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