5 best Minnesota Vikings fourth-round picks of the last decade

Jaleel Johnson – DT (2017)

I really didn’t think Jaleel Johnson would make this list, as he’s truly been disappointing for the better part of his Vikings tenure. With Minnesota’s inability to hit on the majority of their fourth-round choices over the last 10 years though, he pretty much makes the cut by default.

Johnson had been disappointing in his first couple of seasons in the league. He would flash in the preseason and get fans all excited. But when the games began to count, he would disappear. For a guy that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said plays, “like a bull in a china shop,” his inability to produce was very frustrating.

The positive side was that in 2019, Johnson began to show why Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round. He accumulated 29 tackles and he had 3.5 sacks last season. He was able to generate some interior pressure and he was also solid at stuffing the run.

It seems like the light is finally starting to come on for this guy and how he performs in 2020 will go a long way in the Vikings deciding whether or not to extend him after his rookie contract expires.