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A versatile defensive back from Florida, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, 21, brings a safety’s frame into the NFL, though he could also play as a nickel corner after playing 312 slot snaps as a junior. Gardner-Johnson finished his career with nine interceptions, three defensive touchdowns and four sacks, so he knows how to splash defensively. Those splash plays may have come at the expense of some consistency, however, as he gave up the eighth-most receptions from the slot last year. His combine was also middle of the road. His success at the next level may depend upon how Gardner-Johnson is utilized.
Size
5-11, 210 pounds
Combine notables
40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds
Bench: 17 reps
Vertical: 36 inches
Broad jump: 117 inches
3-cone drill: 7.03 seconds
What the analysts say
“Big, athletic defensive back who requires tape study from 2017 and 2018 assess his optimal usage. Some teams will see him as a big slot defender who can blitz, support the run, handle zone duties or play man on big receivers and matchup tight ends. Others will see him as a Cover-1 high safety with the range and ball-tracking to take it away over the top. Gardner-Johnson is too often a step behind in his reads and reaction allowing completions that could be breakups.” – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
“Gardner-Johnson is the perfect modern NFL safety except for one thing: all-around consistency as a player. If you looked at his 2017 tape, you’d have seen a train wreck as a run defender and tackler, but a promising playmaker in coverage. This year, he was a little inconsistent in coverage as a slot corner, but remarkably improved in his physicality and tackling. The reality is that there will probably always be some level of variance to Gardner-Johnson as a player, but I don’t think his lows are that low if the tackling is cleaned up as it was this year, and his highs are pretty dang high.” – Jon Ledyard, The Draft Network
What PFF says
-86th in yards per cover snap (from slot)
-129th in tackling efficiency
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ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE
TOP 40 PLAYERS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS NEEDS & TARGETS
POSITIONAL TOP 5 RANKINGS & VIDEO BREAKDOWNS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
INMAN: NFC NORTH WORST CASE DRAFT SCENARIOS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL (PODCASTS, VIDEOS, ARTICLES)
INMAN’S MOCK DRAFT COLLECTION
