Which recent Minnesota Vikings draft picks can be labeled as busts?
The Minnesota Vikings are a team, that for the most part, has been built through the NFL Draft. They are loaded with players on both sides of the ball that were handpicked by Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and his scouting department.
Many of these players have developed into stars for Minnesota, while some turned into solid starters, and others may have grown into a key situational role player. Whatever their parts might be, some of these guys have proved their worth or exceeded where they were drafted.
Not every pick pans out though. Some players just don’t carry over well from college to the pros and they don’t live up to the promise they showed.
The Vikings do have some players that have been with the team for a few years now and they have fallen into that category. None of these guys have been busts on the level of Laquon Treadwell, but each of them has had a disappointing career in the NFL so far.
So who are some of Minnesota’s recent draft picks that can now, after at least three years with the team, be deemed busts, and will always be seen in that light?
Mike Hughes – CB
Mike Hughes is the highest-drafted player on this list and the most disappointing. Hughes is not on this list based solely on his play, as the problem for the young corner is that he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
This guy has always been injured and he’s missed long stretches of time due to said injuries during his short tenure with the Vikings.
Hughes was selected by Minnesota in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 30th overall choice. He was viewed as an aggressive cover corner who could excel in Mike Zimmer’s defensive system. Hughes was also expected to be a weapon in the return game, as he excelled in that area during his college career at UCF.
Three seasons after getting drafted by the Vikings though, Hughes’s career has been a major disappointment. In just 24 appearances, he’s accumulated a total of 80 tackles and two interceptions.
What makes Hughes’ career just as frustrating as it is disappointing is the fact that he’s flashed plenty of potential at times out on the field. He has made some great plays on the ball, he’s shown the ability to come up and support the run, and he has even taken one of his interceptions to the house for a touchdown.
The only thing anyone can say for sure about Hughes after his first three years is that he can’t be counted on to be on the field. This has hurt his growth and it has hurt Minnesota’s defense as a whole.
Hughes has suffered two injuries to his neck within the last year and it is unclear if he’ll even continue to keep playing in the NFL. If he does, he might have to fight for a spot on the Vikings roster in 2021 as Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler have now jumped him on the team’s depth chart.
Ben Gedeon – LB
Ben Gedeon is no longer with the Vikings, as he was just recently let go. But when he was with Minnesota, the former fourth-round choice never did much. Gedeon isn’t the traditional bust since he actually started 22 games and had 103 tackles, which is pretty good production from a former fourth-round pick.
The problem with Gedeon was that he just couldn’t make any sort of splash plays out on the field. In his career with the Vikings, he had zero sacks, zero interceptions. and zero forced fumbles.
That is crazy for a linebacker who was on the field as often as Gedeon was. Either he was very unlucky or he just didn’t have a nose for the ball.
He did make a pretty solid impact on special teams, but that isn’t going to get him in Minnesota’s Ring of Honor. Gedeon just couldn’t get out of the shadows of Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr during his time with the Vikings. And while he probably did what he was asked, he definitely didn’t go above and beyond and do more.
Gedeon gave the purple and gold a decent return on their investment just from a number of games played perspective. But the production during his career with Minnesota was certainly lacking.
Jalyn Holmes – DE
Jalyn Holmes was a guy who when drafted, many deemed a steal. There was talk that the former Ohio State Buckeyes pass rusher could be selected as early as the second round and when the Vikings got him with a fourth-round pick in 2018, it was viewed as highway robbery.
Almost immediately, Minnesota made it known that Holmes would be converted to defensive tackle, and under the tutelage of defensive line coach Andre Patterson, this was a role that many assumed he’d excel at.
For whatever reason, things just haven’t clicked for Holmes. Maybe it was the position change or perhaps it was the difference in the level of competition from college to the NFL, but he has never come close to meeting his expectations.
Holmes has appeared in just 22 games since he was drafted in 2018 and he’s racked up a scant 41 tackles. The most eye-popping stat is that he has a goose egg when it comes to sacks.
Holmes started as a three-technique defensive tackle for the Vikings and he was supposed to create interior pressure that would throw off the timing of opposing offenses. This season, he was moved back to his natural defensive end position, but he has still has struggled to get to the quarterback.
To be fair, the 2020 campaign has been Holmes’ best in a Minnesota uniform, as he’s already played in 11 games with six starts. He’s also registered 34 tackles this year with two for a loss. While seeing Holmes produce a little this season has been encouraging, it is just too little too late and he will always be looked at as a bust for the Vikings.
Jaleel Johnson – DT
Jaleel Johnson is another recent fourth-round pick of the Vikings who just hasn’t panned out. He was taken back in the 2017 Draft after a beastly career at Iowa and he was seen as a guy who could stuff the run in addition to providing some interior pressure.
Johnson just hasn’t been able to step up consistently on the big stage of the NFL. He had just one tackle during his rookie season and that tackle total jumped to 13 in year two, and 29 in his third season.
Johnson entered 2020 in a contract year and many figured that would be enough motivation for this big dude to finally realize his potential.
While he’s started 11 games this year and he’s set a new career-high in tackles with 34, he has still been underwhelming. He has just 1.5 sacks on the season and the Vikings run defense has been a major liability all year long.
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Johnson has been frustrating to watch because he’s had moments where it looks like he’s finally figured it out, only to disappear completely the following week. He’s a bit of an enigma and if he does sign elsewhere in the offseason, he’ll be deemed a bust during his four-year stint with Minnesota.