5 Vikings Opposing Players to Watch: Preseason Week 1 vs. Saints
By Nik Edlund
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson – S
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a hot name leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft. He seemed to be getting a ton of steam and there were many draft “experts” who had this guy pegged as a first-round pick.
His talent was undeniable and this guy had loads of great looking game tape. For whatever reason, there was a consensus among teams that his talent wouldn’t translate to the NFL game.
Gardner-Johnson can play safety and a little slot corner too. He is excellent in coverage and he can lay some big-time hits. Maybe the fact teams weren’t sure where his future would be on the field ultimately led to his draft day slide.
As it stands now, Gardner-Johnson is second on the Saints’ depth chart behind Marcus Williams. He should at least play a couple of quarters this Friday night and he may even get the start.
It’ll be interesting for the Vikings to see how Gardner-Johnson fares against their second team. Minnesota had a need at safety this year and opted to pass on Gardner-Johnson three times.
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They ended up adding a safety in Marcus Epps in the sixth round, but depending on how Gardner-Johnson performs on Friday night, regret could set in passing on this potential versatile playmaker.