6 safeties the Vikings could select in the 2021 NFL Draft

Jamar Johnson (Indiana)

Measurements:

• Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 197 pounds

2020 Stats:

• 42 tackles
• 4 interceptions
• 3.5 TFLs

If one player is rising up the safety board right now, it’s Indiana’s Jamar Johnson. He shined all season for the Hoosiers and carried their defense to a strong campaign that featured several big wins. He put on a show against Justin Fields and Ohio State, giving them a true test in their playoff run.

Now, Johnson is getting noticed around the league as a play-making defensive back that can basically do it all. He was the leader of Indiana’s defense as a coverage safety, but he was also used in the run game as a thumper and blitzer when needed.

Indiana was one of college football’s biggest surprises in 2020 because of their defense, and Johnson played a major part in that. He is a ballhawk with a lot of range and speed in the back end.

The general assessment of this safety class is the lack of an elite player at any point in the draft. But with guys like Cisco and Johnson, there are a lot of guys who can reach that level. Jamar Johnson is a bit of a hybrid safety who can play deep or even in the nickel, which opens his options quite a bit at the next level.

The Vikings would be smart to consider him or someone with a similar skill-set to challenge Woods and others for playing time next season. You can never have too many good defensive backs.