Big Board ranking: #30

Positional ranking: #6

 

Overview

Position: EDGE

College: Florida State

Class: Senior (RS)

Age: 23

 

Measurables

Height: 6’4 5/8”

Weight: 254 lbs.

Arm length: 34”

Hand size: 9 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.58 sec.

Vertical jump: 32.0”

Broad jump: 125.0”

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Prototype size and length. Very strong. Excellent acceleration and plus change-of-direction skills for a power edge. Exceptional overall physicality. Great run defender. Gets his hands on the chest of opponents and extends/sheds. Extremely quick to disengage. Hands are very active in general. Terrific defending runs on the edge. Sets a strong edge and can make the play for himself. Reliable and physical tackler. Tremendous hustle and pursuit. Physical and aware taking on pullers. Excellent power rusher. Uses combination of length and strength to knock offensive tackles off balance. Very effective inside-out move as a rusher. Sells attack of inside shoulder of offensive tackle before winning outside. Strong pull down move. Has shown a spin move. Great vision. Able to sense the quarterback’s movement and react. Pokes at the ball for strip sacks. High intangibles and leadership.

 

Weaknesses

Has some stiffness in his hips as a rusher. More of a straight-line effort winner with limited bend. Play recognition can be inconsistent. Needs to avoid getting hands too high into the face of blockers. Neutralized by top left tackle Zion Nelson (Miami 2021).

 

NFL comparison

Bud Dupree

 

Conclusion

Overall, Johnson is a strong, physical edge defender that plays the run at an extremely high level and can be an effective power rusher. His intangibles should give him a boost for teams selecting late in the first round.