Well I’ve made the rounds and no one has discovered some concerning reason why Johnson dropped so dramatically.
Here are a few guesses. I won’t call them theories, because that would imply more scientific method.
He’s a graduate of Last Chance U. It’s where players with disqualifying issues go to so they can save their football future. The program has been around for several years, but for the most part has failed to develop special players. If you’re not familiar with this Netflix show, it centers around various community colleges and in Johnson’s case, Independence Community College in Kansas. He had a 1.9 grade point average, which disqualified him from Division 1, so he needed a new option. Sadly, the concept of resurrection seldom works, especially in the case of the Netflix show. No GM wants to hear “I told you so” when there’s so much negative history. So GMs felt it safer to pass on him. My opinion; talent, like gold, is where you find it.
Beware the late riser. Realize when I endorsed him just a few months ago he was day 2 at best. Several evaluators didn’t even have him on their prospect list of the top Edges. On the board, I’ve been making fun of the harassment I’ve received for endorsing him, then watching him rocket up mock drafts. My opinion is that these rises typically happen due to displays of great athleticism at either the Combine or their Pro Day. While Johnson performed well at these events he was rising before them when people started noticing him and studying his film. He earned the rise based on performance. He’d gone to FSU. Once a great program, in recent years they’ve displayed some of the worst coaching in a major conference. Few watch them anymore. Their games are so bad it reflects on everyone. So he wasn’t your typical late riser.
There was a rumor about a character issue at the draft. I can’t even confirm this rumor existed. My opinion is that team captains rarely have those issues. Johnson was regarded as a model citizen at FSU.
The league is becoming an offense first concern. IMO, this certainly is true. More teams believe you win by outscoring the other team rather than defending against them. Offense put rears in the seats. That said, there’s a limit to how one dimensional a team can be. I believe Johnson is a game changer.
Closely related is the theory this draft is deep in Edges. Johnson might be the best, but how much better is he? I think he’s far better than all but the to 3 guys. He will be an impact factor for seasons to come.
I also dismiss the idea that there were concerns about fit. Johnson is far more versatile than the other Edges. So this is just noise. He fits every major system.
He couldn’t start at Georgia. As an incoming transfer Georgia stayed with players that were already succeeding. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
Finally, someone mentioned age. At 23 he is older than many, but he’ll be in the NFL many years past his initial contract. Keep in mind Wyatt is a year older than Johnson.
More stuff may come out but in the end I believe he’s a Pro Bowl player waiting to happen. Teams who passed on him will feel embarrassed in retrospect. The Cards likely had no idea he’d be there at 23. However, I think they could well now be an offense first team.
Here are a few guesses. I won’t call them theories, because that would imply more scientific method.
He’s a graduate of Last Chance U. It’s where players with disqualifying issues go to so they can save their football future. The program has been around for several years, but for the most part has failed to develop special players. If you’re not familiar with this Netflix show, it centers around various community colleges and in Johnson’s case, Independence Community College in Kansas. He had a 1.9 grade point average, which disqualified him from Division 1, so he needed a new option. Sadly, the concept of resurrection seldom works, especially in the case of the Netflix show. No GM wants to hear “I told you so” when there’s so much negative history. So GMs felt it safer to pass on him. My opinion; talent, like gold, is where you find it.
Beware the late riser. Realize when I endorsed him just a few months ago he was day 2 at best. Several evaluators didn’t even have him on their prospect list of the top Edges. On the board, I’ve been making fun of the harassment I’ve received for endorsing him, then watching him rocket up mock drafts. My opinion is that these rises typically happen due to displays of great athleticism at either the Combine or their Pro Day. While Johnson performed well at these events he was rising before them when people started noticing him and studying his film. He earned the rise based on performance. He’d gone to FSU. Once a great program, in recent years they’ve displayed some of the worst coaching in a major conference. Few watch them anymore. Their games are so bad it reflects on everyone. So he wasn’t your typical late riser.
There was a rumor about a character issue at the draft. I can’t even confirm this rumor existed. My opinion is that team captains rarely have those issues. Johnson was regarded as a model citizen at FSU.
The league is becoming an offense first concern. IMO, this certainly is true. More teams believe you win by outscoring the other team rather than defending against them. Offense put rears in the seats. That said, there’s a limit to how one dimensional a team can be. I believe Johnson is a game changer.
Closely related is the theory this draft is deep in Edges. Johnson might be the best, but how much better is he? I think he’s far better than all but the to 3 guys. He will be an impact factor for seasons to come.
I also dismiss the idea that there were concerns about fit. Johnson is far more versatile than the other Edges. So this is just noise. He fits every major system.
He couldn’t start at Georgia. As an incoming transfer Georgia stayed with players that were already succeeding. Don’t fix what’s not broken.
Finally, someone mentioned age. At 23 he is older than many, but he’ll be in the NFL many years past his initial contract. Keep in mind Wyatt is a year older than Johnson.
More stuff may come out but in the end I believe he’s a Pro Bowl player waiting to happen. Teams who passed on him will feel embarrassed in retrospect. The Cards likely had no idea he’d be there at 23. However, I think they could well now be an offense first team.