Jermaine Johnson II
Since entering the NFL in 1961, the Vikings have selected just one Minnesota native in the first round — linebacker Jeff Seimon, who was born in Rochester in 1950. But Seimon left with his family for California when he was 2 and didn’t return to Minnesota until 1972, when the Vikings made him the No. 10 overall selection.Defensive end Carl Eller, a North Carolina native who starred at the University of Minnesota, is the only player from a Minnesota college that the Vikings have drafted in the first round; he was picked No. 6 in 1964. And they’ve never had a first-round selection who attended a Minnesota high school.
But that could change. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II, an Eden Prairie native who starred at Eden Prairie High School and was the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Florida State, is a candidate to be selected with the No. 12 pick in the April 28-30 draft.
The Vikings might prefer to take a cornerback, but if both Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. are off the board at No. 12, they will need to make a decision. Do they take another cornerback at that spot, such as Washington’s Trent McDuffie or Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr.? Do they trade down and still try to get one of those two players? Or do they select a player at another position? If it’s the last option, edge rusher might be the most likely position.
Edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Travon Walker of Georgia will be long gone by the Vikings’ No. 12 pick. NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said there’s a slim chance Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux could slide down to that spot, and the Vikings would have to strongly consider him if that happens. But there is a much better chance that Johnson, regarded by most analysts as the fourth-best edge rusher in the draft, could be available.
“I watched him at the Senior Bowl, where he competed and participated in all the practices and took the snaps, and he won the vast majority of one-on-one drills and just had a really good week,” Davis said.
At the scouting combine in Indianapolis in March, Johnson talked about wanting to end up with the Vikings.
“I grew up a Vikings fan,” he said. “I tried to catch every game. That’d be awesome going home. I’m familiar with the city, born and raised there. It’d be kind of full circle.”
The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Johnson is coming off a season in which he had 18 tackles for loss, including 12 sacks. It was his only year with the Seminoles after he spent his first two college seasons at Independence (Kan.) Community College, which was featured then in the documentary “Last Chance U,” and then his next two seasons at Georgia.
Johnson was a rotation player with the Bulldogs, getting 6½ sacks in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. But he really emerged when he got plenty of snaps at Florida State in an NCAA-allowed fifth season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a great story,” said Mike Grant, Eden Prairie High’s longtime coach. “He didn’t qualify (academically) coming out high school, so he goes down there (to Independence) and it really is ‘Last Chance U.’ But he did all the right things, turned it around academically, and was able to pick Georgia. And then he went to Florida State and worked his butt off. He’s going to go high in the draft, and it’s well deserved.”
ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid has been impressed with Johnson’s development.
“He’s got a complete game,” Reid said. “I think outside of Travon Walker, he’s the best run defender in this class (among edge rushers). I just think in terms of size and skill, he’s got all you want in the position.”
Reid said one drawback is Johnson is 23 and turns 24 in January, and the Vikings might want a younger player. And Johnson admitted at the combine that there is a “question mark” surrounding him since he’s had just “one year of really good production.”
Still, Johnson, as well as the top two cornerbacks, could be gone by the No. 12 pick. If that is the case, the Vikings could turn to the next best edge rusher, Purdue’s George Karlaftis. However, he likely could be snagged by trading down.
https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/22/if-vikings-draft-edge-rusher-in-first-round-it-could-be-eden-prairies-jermaine-johnson/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"pattersaur" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"MaroonBells" said:@"Hawkvike25" said:@"supafreak84" said: Johnson is a great prospect and I've been high on him since about midway through the college season, but after retaining Hunter and our big splash signing in free agency being Zadarius Smith, I just don't see edge being the pick. We also have some intriguing young guys behind those two starters.I'm feeling pretty good that if Hamilton, Sauce, and Stingley are all off the board at #12...the pick is going to be a WR or they trade out of the pick.
I’m in the same boat as ZaDarius changed the situation quite a bit. If we draft another DE in the first round then that basically says Patrick Jones or J-Rob are gone in their second year. We already have Wonnum in there so you’re almost gambling with your first round pick becoming a 4th option
IMO, pass rushers are always a BPA option and will be for us in the 1st round. But I agree, OLB is not a need for us and not a position we should be picking past the 1st round. I know it's a deep class, but I doubt we pick one at all.One thing that might argue against that is scheme fit. Who knows what the new regime thinks about Wonnum, J-Rob, PJII.
There is also the long-term considerations though. Even if EDGE isn't a need Z'Darius and Hunter both have durability questions and you can use Johnson now in a rotation. By next year you can save $10M by cutting/trading Za'Darius. So although you aren't drafting for need, thats $10M you open up next year. I'd argue there is more value in that vs. a receiver.
Theilen’s cap hit next year is like $20M so drafting a WR to replace him makes sense to me too. DE would be good too though, I agree.
$20M is true but his contract is a choose your own adventure after 2022. There are really 3 options:- Option 1 (least likely): Cut after the season saves them $6.4M but straddles them with $13.6M in dead money.
- Option 2 (not that likely): Cut Post-Jun 1 after the season saves them $13.5M on the 23' cap but leaves $6.5M in dead money in 23' and another $7M in dead money in 24'.
- Option 3 (kind of likely): They play him out on the $20M cap hit
- Option 4 (most likely): They move $5-6M of the 23' cap hit into 24' making his cap hit more like $13-15M while keeping the future dead money around $10M. So the outcome being a cut after the 23' season with a benefit of about $10M and dead money of $10M.
I agree with your most likely option. I think a lot depends on how he plays in 22. He's right at that age where you start to see a little age-related decline in most receivers. But like Cris Carter, he's also a player who can beat you with routes, guile and savvy, rather than just athleticism, so I can see him staying relevant longer than some.Thielen is 31 and will be 32 week one. Carter was making pro bowls in '98, '99 and '00 when he was 33, 34 and 35.
@"BrickVike" said:Doh!@"purplefaithful" said: So to build on that...4 edges
1 qb (maybe 2)
1 WR
Hamilton
Sauce & StingleyThat could very well be the top 10...Vikings have to hope some of those teams with QB needs (and two #1 picks) make moves up.
That top 10 scenario seems highly likely and it wouldn't leave me very happy either.
Add 2-3 OT to top 10. Much better.Thank you!!!
Good call :)
I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.
@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.
This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.
@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
The way that plays out helps the Vikings quite a bit in their pursuit of DBs. Since it nearly guarantees (barring a trade) Sauce or Stingley making it to #8 where the Vikings theoretically get in range to move up if they prefer.
@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
The way that plays out helps the Vikings quite a bit in their pursuit of DBs. Since it nearly guarantees (barring a trade) Sauce or Stingley making it to #8 where the Vikings theoretically get in range to move up if they prefer.
Sauce will certainly be off the board. There's an outside chance that either Stingley or Hamilton will still be on the board (I don't see both), but we'd probably have to jump Washington picking in front of us to secure them. Like I said, the more I look at the way this thing could play out, the more pissed I am we played to win against Chicago in a completely meaningless game when we had already been eliminated. If we would have lost, our draft options would be much better and we wouldn't have to worry about giving up draft capital to potentially move up. It's going to be very interesting to see how Kwesi plays this
https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/33803995/georgia-bulldogs-de-travon-walker-emerges-consensus-favorite-top-pick-nfl-draft-sportsbooks
dont know about his football future, but i always loved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZQdYvVXaug
I try and move up into 8 range for Sauce but not Stingley. Value charts differ a lot but it looks like we would have to give up our 77th pick (maybe more) to move up to 8th.
For the most part I would want a trade down and more lottery chances.
The more you look at this Draft, the more you can imagine teams wanting to trade down.
@"StickyBun" said: The more you look at this Draft, the more you can imagine teams wanting to trade down.I hear that there's little interest in teams moving up. The lack of top flight QB prospects will do that.
@"supafreak84" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
The way that plays out helps the Vikings quite a bit in their pursuit of DBs. Since it nearly guarantees (barring a trade) Sauce or Stingley making it to #8 where the Vikings theoretically get in range to move up if they prefer.
Sauce will certainly be off the board. There's an outside chance that either Stingley or Hamilton will still be on the board (I don't see both), but we'd probably have to jump Washington picking in front of us to secure them. Like I said, the more I look at the way this thing could play out, the more pissed I am we played to win against Chicago in a completely meaningless game when we had already been eliminated. If we would have lost, our draft options would be much better and we wouldn't have to worry about giving up draft capital to potentially move up. It's going to be very interesting to see how Kwesi plays this
Yeah, but if we picked at 8, we'd be mad because we're not in position for Sauce and we have to choose between a slow safety and a corner who hasn't played well in 3 seasons. It's pretty much the same every year, but it's mostly perception. If we pick at 12, the blue chip players run out at 10. If we pick at 20, they run out at 18.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
The way that plays out helps the Vikings quite a bit in their pursuit of DBs. Since it nearly guarantees (barring a trade) Sauce or Stingley making it to #8 where the Vikings theoretically get in range to move up if they prefer.
Sauce will certainly be off the board. There's an outside chance that either Stingley or Hamilton will still be on the board (I don't see both), but we'd probably have to jump Washington picking in front of us to secure them. Like I said, the more I look at the way this thing could play out, the more pissed I am we played to win against Chicago in a completely meaningless game when we had already been eliminated. If we would have lost, our draft options would be much better and we wouldn't have to worry about giving up draft capital to potentially move up. It's going to be very interesting to see how Kwesi plays this
Yeah, but if we picked at 8, we'd be mad because we're not in position for Sauce and we have to choose between a slow safety and a corner who hasn't played well in 3 seasons. It's pretty much the same every year, but it's mostly perception. If we pick at 12, the blue chip players run out at 10. If we pick at 20, they run out at 18.Hamilton is the prize. If we can add him to our DB room we'll figure it out on CBs.
It's probably an unfair to compare this players but how Isaiah Simmons has performed for the Cards so far in his career has me concerned about Hamilton. I dont know why, could be because of how tall they are and when you get that tall it gets harder and harder to rotate your hips quick enough to change direction. 6'4 220 is one big safety...probably just overthinking it.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"Geoff Nichols" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"supafreak84" said:@"PurpleCrush" said: I've been seeing quite a few tweets today from guys like Brugler and others that say Jermaine Johnson may not get past the Jets at 4. Again, take it with a grain of salt.This on the heels of NFL Network mocking him 3rd overall to Houston in their mock draft yesterday.
The top 3 picks in this draft are going to be edge rushers. Pretty confident about that at this point. The fourth edge won't last long after that, whether it's Johnson or Thibedeaux.
And Ive seen Walker mocked anywhere from 2nd overall to falling to the Vikings at 12...I think the former is far more likely.There's a lot of smoke currently that Walker will be going 1st overall to Jacksonville. If that happens Hutchinson is a lock to Detroit at #2. Houston will take whomever their preference is between Johnson and Thibedeaux, and right now Johnson has the momentum.
The way that plays out helps the Vikings quite a bit in their pursuit of DBs. Since it nearly guarantees (barring a trade) Sauce or Stingley making it to #8 where the Vikings theoretically get in range to move up if they prefer.
Sauce will certainly be off the board. There's an outside chance that either Stingley or Hamilton will still be on the board (I don't see both), but we'd probably have to jump Washington picking in front of us to secure them. Like I said, the more I look at the way this thing could play out, the more pissed I am we played to win against Chicago in a completely meaningless game when we had already been eliminated. If we would have lost, our draft options would be much better and we wouldn't have to worry about giving up draft capital to potentially move up. It's going to be very interesting to see how Kwesi plays this
Yeah, but if we picked at 8, we'd be mad because we're not in position for Sauce and we have to choose between a slow safety and a corner who hasn't played well in 3 seasons. It's pretty much the same every year, but it's mostly perception. If we pick at 12, the blue chip players run out at 10. If we pick at 20, they run out at 18.
I like our options better at 8 then 12. That would be enough in itself to lose that game in a wasted season which was what I was rooting for when others were like "any chance to beat the Bears we should take it " No! Thats just stupidity with the end result exactly what it is currently as far as draft position. We are essentially the cut off point for the blue chip talent in this draft and are essentially praying a quarterback or two gets drafted in the top 10 so a position player falls in our laps. We'll see how it plays out, but right now we are probably on the outside looking in on Sauce, Stingley, and Hamilton. We lose that game to the Bears, one if not two of those guys are probably sitting there at 8. Geoff laid out a scenario in his last mock where we move up to 9 in a trade with Seattle to secure Stingley at the cost of a 3rd and 6th round draft picks. So...essentially the cost of that meaningless win against the Bears were two draft picks to move up and secure the guy we wanted and could have picked at no cost had we lost. Just food for thought for the "any win is a good win" crowd
I agree. I dont think Stingley or Hamilton will be there @12.
They're going to have to jump-up to about #9 most likely for either one of em.
Top Edges will be gone too.
That leaves a trade-down, maybe they love the db from Washington? Or a WR.
@"purplefaithful" said: I agree. I dont think Stingley or Hamilton will be there @12.They're going to have to jump-up to about #9 most likely for either one of em.
Top Edges will be gone too.
That leaves a trade-down, maybe they love the db from Washington? Or a WR.
That's how I see it too. Top four edge guys off the board, both corners should be, Hamilton likely gone. The Redskins picking right in front of us are going to be a problem as their draft needs match ours with needs at corner, safety, and receiver. Any "droppers" would likely be nabbed up by Washington.
If the Vikings settle on McDuffie at 12, I'm going to lose my shit. I'd gamble on Drake London without a 40 time before I took a 5'10" corner with a shorter then ideal wingspan. Hell, I'd gamble on Malik Willis before I took McDuffie at 12.
I don't think we ever had a shot at drafting 8 with a loss... If I remember correctly, we needed a bunch of teams to win/lose to get as high as 9 or 10 with a loss, but the most likely outcome was we were picking 11th with a loss. We beat Chicago and ended up with 12. The week 17 win didn't really change anything.
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