![]() ![]() “I gave a lot of credit to him for proving that he could play a lot more snaps and still be productive. “But he decided to bet on himself, and he really showed out as being the guy on that defensive line. It would have been easy to stay at Georgia and be part of that machine,” Brugler said. “I think that he deserves a lot of credit for making that decision. Or Johnson simply could have struggled to handle being the alpha with a heavily increased workload. Or the scheme could have been the wrong fit. The Seminoles could have been the wrong fit for him. So Johnson transferring to FSU came with plenty of risk. Johnson amassed 36 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, seven sacks, 11 quarterback hurries and a pass breakups across those two seasons. Having a fringe starting role at Georgia didn’t keep Johnson from being on the NFL Draft radar.īrugler pegged Johnson as a top 100 draft pick after he played 21 games with four starts on the Bulldogs. ![]() It will help him stay in the league, even if he doesn’t prove to be a 12-sack-a-year type of guy.” Transfer portal success “I think that’s something that will really help him. “It’s usually, ‘Can you get to the quarterback or not?’ With Jermaine Johnson, not only can he get to the quarterback, but he is very aware versus the run. "They don’t usually say that with pass rushers. “What I loved about Jermaine Johnson’s tape was, if you told me to give me the best five plays he had on tape, three of them might have been versus the run," Brugler said. It’s why Brugler projects him as a 10-year NFL starter with Pro Bowl upside. Still, there’s seemingly no reason to believe Johnson can’t make plays like that first rep at the next level. And they don’t have to finish the play with a tackle. ![]() Defensive linemen only have to beat one player and can take longer than usual. There are no quick passes from the quarterback. The disadvantage offensive linemen face in those one-on-one drills makes those faceoffs more of a spectacle than anything else. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. A lot of guys have tools, but can you weaponize your hands? Can you put thought in what you are doing with your pass rush? I thought we saw that from Johnson.” “And that’s what you want to see in pass rushers. “I thought Johnson showed that length that he has and how he can use it as a weapon,” Brugler said. There’s debate about who won the final rep. On the second rep, Kinnard evened the score. Yet in a video of their first rep, which went viral on social media, Johnson is seen pushing Kinnard back before bringing him to the ground. So Staley wanted to see who would win in a simulated pass rush rep.Īt 6-foot-4¾, 324 pounds, Kinnard significantly outweighed Johnson (6-4 ¾, 259 pounds). And they are both projected as top 50 overall prospects. Kinnard and Johnson were thought to have been the best performers that day. The end of day one’s practice at the Senior Bowl offered a glimpse of what Johnson could accomplish in the NFL.ĭetroit Lions assistant coach Duce Staley, who served as head coach for the National Team, pitted Johnson against former Kentucky offensive tackle Darian Kinnard in a one-on-one showdown after practice. “He came in as the top-ranked defensive player on my board (among those who participated at the Senior Bowl), and he leaves that same way with maybe even a little more juice than he had coming in.” NFL career projection ![]() He was consistently disruptive throughout the week in one-on-ones and during team drills. “You see the active hands and the different pass rush moves. “There’s a lot of talented pass rushers, but there’s nuance to what Jermaine Johnson is doing with his rush,” Brugler said. But Johnson’s practices from earlier in the week were enough to further elevate his profile. Johnson still carefully approached the week, missing the final practice and game for precautionary reasons. Johnson competed anyway, unlike other top prospects like Thibodeaux and Hutchinson. Coming into the Senior Bowl, he already projected as a first-round pick. Brugler said Johnson, Georgia’s Travon Walker, Michigan’s David Ojabo and Purdue’s George Karlaftis comprise the second tier at that position.Īfter winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, Johnson certainly didn’t need to prove himself much. Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux are the consensus top two defensive ends in this class. FSU defensive end Jermaine Johnson had three sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble in his only game in the FSU-Miami rivalry. ![]()
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