John Johnson

PA Ram wrote:

They say he’s not a hard hitter. I don’t care as long as he can tackle and make plays. The “knock-em-out” guys can go play for Williams in Cleveland. I just want smart players who get the job done. This guy seems to fit that mold.

He is more of a cover saftie not a strong tackler. Johnson is better in special teams coverage.

Dane Brugler

15. JOHN JOHNSON | Boston College
6004|208 lbs|4SR West Hyattsville, Md. (Northwestern) 12/19/1994 (age 22) #9 GRADE 4th Round
YEAR (GP/GS) 2013: (12/0) 2014: (8/2) 2015: (12/12) 2016: (13/13) Total: (45/27)
TKLS TFL 4 1.0 25 1.0 63 1.5 77 2.5 169 6.0
SACK FF PD INT 0.0 0 0 0
1.0 0 2 0 0.5 2 6 3 1.0 1 12 3
(2 CB)
(9 SS, 3 CB) (13 FS)
2.5 3
20 6

BACKGROUND: A two-star safety recruit out of high school, John Johnson III committed to Boston College over offers from Duke, Pittsburgh and several others. After spending his true freshman season as a back-up cornerback, he worked his way into the starting mix as a sophomore with 25 tackles and two passes defended, making two starts before an arm injury sidelined him for the second half of the season. Johnson moved to strong safety as a junior in 2015 where he started the first nine games, moving back to left cornerback for the final three games. He finished the 2015 season with 63 tackles, six passes defended and three interceptions. Johnson moved to free safety as a senior in 2016 and led Boston College with 12 passes defended and three interceptions, adding 77 tackles. He accepted his invitation to the 2017 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Tall, long athlete…velvet feet and hip fluidity to smoothly redirect…long-strider to accelerate quickly and cover a lot of green…controls his gears well on the move to throttle down and stay controlled in space…strings out plays, holding outside leverage and closing gaps on the perimeter…run-and-hit style run defender, showing fast angles working downhill…determined chaser and looks to tune up his target…uses his arm length to take away passing lanes from various body positions…competes with an edge at the catch point, aggressively trying to knock the ball down…soft hands to finish interceptions – averaged 15.7 yards per return in 2016 (3/47/0)…team-oriented player and voted a senior captain – attractive intelligence and intangibles…versatile starting experience with 27 career starts, including multiple starts at each spot in the secondary (13 FS, 9 SS, 3 LCB, 2 RCB).

WEAKNESSES: Lean-muscled body type with questionable core strength and limited bulk potential…inconsistent route anticipation and can be caught guessing…tick late out of his breaks in man coverage, hesitating and allowing excess spacing on underneath patterns (slants, curls, digs, etc.)…over-thinks concepts and falls for eye candy…arrives too hot and creates poor angles…needs to improve his tackling skills in space…bad habit of throwing his shoulder downhill instead of coming to balance, squaring up and driving backwards…late to recognize blockers and can be bullied near the line of scrimmage, struggling to detach himself once engaged…undeveloped blitzing skills.

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Boston College, Johnson lined up all over the secondary in his career, spending his senior season primarily as a single-high free safety and slot cornerback – never won All-ACC honors, but showed steady progress each season. He is a talented, long-striding athlete with excellent range and body control to cover ground. However, he needs to clean up some issues in run support and his lack of route anticipation stands out on film, allowing receivers to gain a step and give the quarterback a clear throwing lane. Although he is too reactive in coverage, Johnson has a high football aptitude and limits the mistakes with his versatile athleticism – core special teamer with starting potential at free safety or as a nickel defender.