5 players the Minnesota Vikings regret not drafting in 2020

Tyler Johnson – WR

Tyler Johnson is the second Golden Gopher to make this list and it was almost as if Rick Spielman made a conscious decision to not draft one from the local Twin Cities school last April.

The Vikings did end up taking Justin Jefferson in the first round, so adding another receiver wasn’t a huge priority. The team did get plenty of upfront looks at Johnson during his time with the Gophers though and they had to know this kid was a much greater talent who shouldn’t have been available on Day 3 of the draft like he was.

Minnesota had three fourth-round picks last year and they could’ve used one of those on Johnson. After the 2020 season, D.J. Wonnum looks like the only real promising choice the Vikings made and Johnson would’ve been far better choices than both James Lynch and Troy Dye.

Johnson is a big-bodied pass catcher who has experience being the No. 1 target in an offense. Despite being buried on an unbelievably deep Bucs receiving depth chart, Johnson was still able to manage 12 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns during the 2020 season. He also made a key grab during Tampa’s big divisional-round win over the Saints last weekend, which helped ice the game.

With Bisi Johnson’s regression, and Tajae Sharpe not panning out, Johnson would’ve likely become a valuable part of the Vikings’ passing attack in 2020. Instead, he’s starting out his career buried on a ridiculously talented receiving corp and Minnesota will still be in search of a No. 3 wide receiver this offseason.