STRENGTHS: Big-boned, broad-shouldered athlete with proportionate bulk … stout, physical runner to breeze through arm tackles … forward finisher, lowering his pads and driving his legs through contact … aggressively presses the line, but also shows patience behind lead blocks … able to find cutback lanes … can force missed tackles in the backfield with his lateral footwork … his stiff-arm is unyielding … enough speed to stretch runs to the boundary or out-pace pursuit … only one career fumble … dogged blocking chops, both in pass protection and as a lead blocker in “21” personnel … shows functional receiving skills out of the backfield … led Texas in special teams tackles (seven) in 2022 — played on all four coverages … addicted to working and self-improvement (was pushing sleds around at age
… benefited from the “older brother” theory — his desire to keep up with his older brothers on the field instilled competitive persistence in him at a young age … vocal leader and beloved in the Texas program (NFL scout: “He was Mr. Accountability for that entire offense … and our special teams staff is going to love him.”).
WEAKNESSES: High-cut runner, and run style lacks fluidity … inconsistent rhythm as a ball carrier and guilty of taking extra steps behind the line of scrimmage … feel for run lane development runs hot/cold … physical finisher but often uses too much forward lean at contact and sacrifices his balance … primarily a screen target and unproven running a full route tree … love his fight in pass pro, but must improve his ability to ID blitzers pre-snap (his communication with the offensive line must improve as well) … suffered a broken hand (January 2023) during the first practice at the Senior Bowl … averaged only 9.5 offensive touches per game in his career and wasn’t asked to be the featured back.
SUMMARY: Primarily a backup at Texas, Johnson was a complimentary back in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s spread RPO offense. A high school quarterback, he moved to running back as a Longhorns freshman and played second fiddle to Bijan Robinson but embraced his role in the program and was a central part of the culture shift under the new coaching staff (Sarkisian: “What this guy brings every single day is pretty incredible. He’s so mature. Unbelievable work ethic. Awesome teammate…he’s got the utmost respect of everybody in our building, that is for sure.”). A stout, good-sized runner, Johnson is a two-way creator with his lateral cuts to elude tacklers and the forward momentum to power through contact. With his football character and ability on special teams and as a blocker, his impact without the football is almost as impressive as his ability with the ball. Overall, Johnson is high-cut and can be inconsistent with his run rhythm, but he is a quick-footed, physical ball carrier with valuable third-down skills as a pass-catcher and blocker. He should immediately upgrade an NFL team’s running back rotation and be a core special teamer.
GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 91 overall)
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