The Gophers have had no shortage of second- and third-round NFL draft picks during the P.J. Fleck era, as well as plenty of day three selections. Producing players who hear their name called on the draft’s opening night has been a bit more of a challenge. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman in 2021 is Fleck’s lone first-round pick so far — and Minnesota’s lone first-rounder since Laurence Maroney in 2006.
It feels like there’s a good chance that list grows longer next spring.
Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey has an outside chance to be a Day 1 pick if he puts together a strong redshirt sophomore season. Edge rusher Anthony Smith, the preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year, could enter the round one conversation with a dominant season, even as an older prospect.
But neither of those stars are the best NFL prospect on Minnesota’s roster. That title belongs to left guard Greg Johnson, who offered an emphatic reminder of his professional pedigree with a dominant performance in the season opener against Eastern Illinois.
Johnson, a four-star recruit out of Prior Lake High School in the class of 2023, is now in his fourth season with the Gophers and has shown improvement every year so far. He saw a bit of time at left guard as a true freshman and struggled, as many freshmen do. Johnson started at center in 2024 and was solid, especially in pass protection. Last year, he played mostly left guard (but saw time at every OL position other than center) and was quite good, establishing himself as an NFL prospect.
It’s just one game against an outclassed FCS opponent, but Johnson was absurdly dominant in Minnesota’s season-opening win over Eastern Illinois on Thursday. He was sharp in pass protection and absolutely mauled in the run game, earning a 93.9 PFF grade. That’s the second-best mark given out in Week 1 among well over 1,000 FBS offensive linemen.
At 6’6″ and 325 pounds, Johnson has obvious NFL size, especially for an interior lineman. He has both explosiveness and raw power as an athlete. And his technique and instincts have continued to get better and better over the course of his college career. This highlight cut-up put together by CBS Sports’ Mike Renner is beautiful stuff. Renner feels pretty confident in Johnson’s status as a future first-round selection.
You can put Minnesota LG Greg Johnson’s name in ink for your 1st-round mocks. This is what a blue-chip guard prospect looks like pic.twitter.com/SSHFijbqx6
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) September 6, 2026
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Even before this season began, Johnson was on the first-round radar. ESPN’s Jordan Reid had him going 27th overall in a late-August 2027 mock draft. He was 24th on the preseason draft board of The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. A performance like the one he had against EIU only validates the idea that he could be one of the first interior linemen off the board next April.
As with Lindsey or any other player, there’s only so much that can be gleaned from a game against an FCS team. Greater tests await Johnson against the likes of Mississippi State, Washington, and Michigan over the next month. If he can continue to shine against those teams, he may end up in the mix for the Outland Trophy, given annually to the best interior O-lineman in the country.
Johnson is a major weapon for the Gophers in both the run game and in pass protection. He looks like a guy who could wind up playing on Sundays for a long time.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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