The interior partition of the 2020 Minnesota Vikings defensive line was small and unprofitable. The twosome of Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson was piecemealed because Michael Pierce opted out of 2020 activities due to coronavirus precautions.
Stephen was the scheduled three-technique defensive tackle, sliding over to nose tackle in Pierce’s absence. Per his body type, Stephen is not a bonafide nose tackle. But the coaching staff was eternally high on Stephen, so he was tapped for NT duty. To be frank, he was not horrendous. Stephen tallied a 61.7 Pro Football Focus grade, balancing his run-stopping and pass-rushing acumens in the high 50s.