Overview

Position: CB

College: San Diego State

Class: Senior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’0 1/4″

Weight: 193 lbs.

Arm length: 30 5/8”

Hand size: 9 7/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.40 sec.

10-yard split: 1.54 sec.

Vertical jump: 38.0”

Broad jump: 126.0”

Bench press: 17 reps

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Plenty of experience in matchup-zone coverage. Shows natural stickiness matching routes in coverage. Great play recognition in coverage. Quick feet in and out of the backpedal. Reads things out in the backpedal while reacting to the route or routes. Terrific quickness covering underneath routes. Very quick and instinctive breaking on underneath passes. Positions himself underneath routes to prevent short throws. Accurate getting a hand in at the catch point. Aggressive hitting at the catch point. Very good footwork in press coverage. Very patient with outstanding footwork mirroring slower releases. Easily sticks with crossing routes. Above-average speed. Very quick dropping in deeper zone coverage. Great ability to jump intermediate routes near the sideline. Will bait quarterbacks with impressive burst breaking on throws as a deep zone defender. Effectively checks opponents on vertical routes. Able to break up downfield passes. Competes at the catch point and will fight for the ball. Tremendous ball skills. Can take it the distance following an interception. Played on both sides of the formation. Used to play man coverage in the slot. Experience defending bigger opponents in the slot. Physical battling bigger opponents in general. Sticks to stop routes in the slot. Stays on slot fades. Aggressive taking on blockers when he senses a perimeter screen. Fast and effective blitzing from the perimeter. Shows aggression crashing in from the edge as a run blitzer. Extremely effective wrapping up. Impressive stopping power as a tackler at his size. Excellent tracking down ball-carriers on outside runs and tackling near the sideline. Very effective chopping down bigger opponents to tackle. Successfully makes low tackles. Effective shedding in space.

 

Weaknesses

Can be a tick delayed matching routes when they get to him from cushion coverage. Has somewhat of a gather motion reacting to vertical route cuts from cushion coverage. Has a sinking motion that delays his transition and causes him to lose a step opening up vertically. Average recovery burst/speed defending downfield routes if he falls a step behind. Could be better getting his head around on downfield passes. Would like to see more quickness to reaccelerate versus stutter-and-go moves. Pushed back when blockers get leverage. Can get blocked inside by offensive linemen and allow a run to get to the sideline.

 

NFL comparison

Byron Murphy Jr.

 

Conclusion

Overall, Johnson is a well-rounded cornerback with an ability to match routes and turn the ball over in zone coverage. He might be challenged more on vertical passes versus NFL competition, but his best fit is in a matchup-zone scheme.

 

Big Board ranking: #44 | Positional ranking: #7