6 players the Vikings passed on during the 2019 NFL Draft

Lonnie Johnson Jr. – CB

Everyone knows how much Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer adores cornerbacks. Which made it even more of a surprise when Minnesota didn’t end up selecting one during the 2019 NFL Draft until the seventh and final round.

If given the opportunity to add one in the second round this year, Johnson Jr. likely would have been near the top of Zimmer’s list.

The 6-foot-2, 213-pound prospect out of Kentucky has a lot of the traits the Vikings’ head coach tends to look for in a corner. Johnson Jr. is a big and physical player who possesses the tools for Zimmer to mold into a potential elite corner.

Minnesota decided to pass on the former Kentucky cornerback in the second round this year though and they went with former Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. instead. In the end, the Vikings were able to resist Zimmer’s urges and they made the right choice by upgrading their current group of tight ends with their round two pick.