Minnesota Vikings fans love a good story in the draft. It could be a German player, like Moritz Böhringer. But often we want them to take a local player. Tyler Johnson and Antoine Winfield Jr. come to mind. Minnesotans love it when someone who is “one of us” ends up on the team. This year, the Vikings have a chance to bring a kid from Eden Prairie home.
If the name Jermaine Johnson sounds familiar, it’s likely because you saw him on season three of the hit Netflix show Last Chance U. Johnson is a far cry from just a feel-good story. He has become one of the best pass rushers in the nation at both Georgia and Florida State.
At 6’4″, 254 lbs., Johnson has the size to play as both a stand-up outside linebacker in a 3-4 and a defensive end in a 4-3. After transferring to Georgia from Independence community college, he shined as a rotational pass rusher in his junior and senior seasons. In two seasons in Athens, Johnson managed to rack up 6.5 sacks in a limited role as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. But he emerged as the dominant force that he is in his final season at Florida State. After transferring to FSU and showing his versatility to play in a 4-3 as a defensive end, Johnson put up monster numbers with 11.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Johnson impressed at the Senior Bowl, putting up dominant displays on Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices. He was able to opt out of the final day of practice, already solidifying himself as a Day 1 talent.
While his stats are impressive, they somehow don’t do him justice. While he isn’t exactly a speed rusher like David Ojabo, another edge rusher in the class, Johnson has an explosive first step in a two- and three-point stance. He can get a clean release and use his arm length to keep opposing offensive linemen at bay.
Johnson has plenty of length, and he knows how to use it. He can keep separation from blocks and execute his pass-rushing plan to near perfection. His ability to extend himself and make plays on the quarterback when they are trying to escape the pocket will be helpful at the NFL level when going up against more mobile signal-callers.
Johnson’s length also helps him shed blocks in the run game and makes it much easier for him to set the edge and not allow the opposing running backs to cut back to the outside. That skill is something that new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has said that he wants to see in defensive ends.
His length isn’t his only asset when it comes to rushing. Johnson’s hand strength and hand counters are amongst the best in this year’s draft class. His hands aren’t easily displaced, and he uses his strength to move blockers and create better angles to get to the quarterback.
Johnson will be able to play every down in the NFL due to his prowess in both the run game and when he rushes the passer. His ability to adjust against whatever the opposing offense does will be beneficial at the NFL level because they won’t look to slow down his rushing abilities by running the ball right at him on early downs. Johnson will also be under the tutelage of both Danielle Hunter and Harrison Smith, two players who have been able to get to the highest levels of the game. Though Johnson could play every down, if both Smith and Hunter stay healthy, he will likely be a rotational rusher and provide a spark off the bench.
While there is a lot to like about Johnson and how he plays, there are still some elements he needs to work on to step up to the next level. First, he will need to gain some more muscle. He also tends to get swallowed up by bigger linemen, and his power was inconsistent in college. He will also have to work on his bend when he tries to get around the corner of the opposing tackles. Though he has proved capable of doing this before, he will need to work on his angles and get rid of any wasted motion on the way to the quarterback.
While some people may be sold on picking a cornerback in the first round no matter what, Johnson provides an insurance policy if either Hunter or Smith fails to recapture their pre-injury form. I think this is unlikely, but Johnson also will help fill in during any games where Hunter or Smith are unable to play and can provide a better base-level replacement. We often get caught up in storylines when it comes to the draft, but the Vikings should explore the idea of bringing Johnson home. There’s much more to him than a nifty narrative.
