For the first time in seven years, it feels like the Minnesota Vikings are on the brink of drafting a rookie running back in the first four rounds or so of the NFL draft — and all the hints are pointing at Nebraska tailback Emmett Johnson.

Johnson has become one of the cleaner RB matches for Minnesota.

Of course, like every prospect, Johnson is not a shoo-in to turn purple, but the evidence is stronger for him than for any other rookie runner.

Several Vikings Clues Keep Pointing toward Emmett Johnson

The Vikings have four picks in the Top 100 next week. Johnson may be one of them.

The “College Production” Theory

Here’s a newsflash: the Vikings need to draft good players. They haven’t really done that in the last four years, outside of a few notable exceptions.

Therefore, according to ESPN, Minnesota may be prioritizing college production over age and youthful unknowns. Matt Miller wrote last weekend, “The Vikings must hit at a higher rate on Day 2 picks, and with that in mind, I’ve heard the team will target players with higher college production over potential or traits.”

Johnson played over 40 games at Nebraska and will be a 23-year-old rookie during the regular season. He emphatically checks the production box ESPN described.

The Hometown Angle

You know the high school that Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald attended? Holy Angels in Richfield. That’s where Johnson went before taking the plunge at Nebraska.

The Vikings and their fans always love a hometown story — see: Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham — and Johnson fits the criteria. He was named Minnesota Mr. Football in 2021.

From Johnson’s Lips to God’s Ear

What’s more, Johnson wouldn’t mind being a Viking. He said so. Johnson told NBC Sports about his meeting with the Vikings’ coaches in February, “Hey, man, it would mean a lot. I grew up in the inner city. I lived about 10-15 minutes from U.S. Bank Stadium. I had a great formal meeting with them and Kevin O’Connell. I would love to go back home.”

Of course, Johnson doesn’t control where he’ll be drafted, but if Minnesota knows he wants to return home, the temptation to draft him heightens. Why not fire up a hometown angle with Thielen and Ham freshly retired? Nobody would hate it, especially not Johnson personally.

The Pre-Draft Visit

The Vikings don’t meet with every running back. But they met with Johnson.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweeted Monday, “Source: Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson concluded a 30-visit with the Vikings. Johnson ran for 1,451 yards and 15 total TDs last season en route to 1st-Team All-American honors for the Cornhuskers. He is considered a likely top-100 pick.”

If you’re keeping score at home, that’s two meetings with Johnson for the Vikings: one at the Combine and one formal Top 30 visit. They’re clearly intrigued.

Zone Coverage‘s Trevor Ripley noted on Johnson last month, “Minnesota could get the falling star at a reasonable pick. Johnson’s primary role in the NFL may be as a receiving back; he’ll need to greatly improve his pass protection to garner a bigger role.”

“But Johnson’s 251 carries this past season at 5.8 yards per clip are strong signs he can work up to an every-down back. Interestingly enough, many have compared him to Kenneth Gainwell, a free agent who many Vikings fans were eager to bring aboard before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Johnson has proven to be a workhorse, something the Vikings became accustomed to with Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook. The good thing is he won’t have to be, at least initially.

The Need for a Rookie RB

Since 2017, Minnesota has drafted four running backs:

• Dalvin Cook
• Alexander Mattison
• Ty Chandler
• DeWayne McBride

Cook succeeded and then some, completing six successful seasons in Minnesota before falling off a cliff with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Mattison came aboard in 2019, serving as an adept RB2 for five seasons but not much more.

Chandler was an RB3, and McBride didn’t last long.

Under O’Connell, the Vikings’ rushing offense has never hit a groove, preferring the friendly confines of a pass-happy attack, fitting for a former quarterback like O’Connell. It’s time to change that, though, and especially with youth. Aaron Jones will turn 32 in December, and Jordan Mason will be 27 next month. Both men are scheduled to become free agents in 2027.

The Vikings need a rookie running back who can take the RB1 baton in 2027. Why not Johnson?

Two 3rd-Round Picks in Johnson Territory

Perhaps the most convincing evidence, Minnesota has two picks in Round 3, also known as prime territory for Johnson.

Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has his organic 82nd pick, in addition to the 97th, a compensatory selection for Sam Darnold’s free-agent exit last year. For now, Johnson is considered the 106th-best player in the draft, according to the Consensus Big Board, so Minnesota will have two reasonable chances to draft him in Round 3 if it’s in the mood.