|
|
Jermaine Johnson II NFL Draft Profile
|
Jermaine Johnson II Scouting ReportJermaine uses this lateral agility to be a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage. He can seamlessly shift from attacking the outside track to cutting inside and pressuring from the interior of the defensive line. If he maintains his pursuit around the outside, he has the speed, explosiveness, and bend to get to the quarterback successfully. Johnson displays impressive strength at the point of attack. He easily overpowers running backs and tight ends tasked with halting his pursuit of the opposition” passer. Johnson can hit with violence, and he also uses his strength to disengage from blockers. Jermaine also possesses a tidy arsenal of pass-rush moves. He showcased spin, swipe, swim moves, and a potent bull rush in the games studied. Johnson also has the length to ensure he can be disruptive at the point of attack in multiple ways.
|
Areas for ImprovementJohnson can sometimes be overwhelmed by bigger offensive tackles. Furthermore, he relies on his physicality to disengage from blockers rather than technique. To be successful at the next level, he will need to use technique rather than physicality in this regard.
|
Jermaine Johnson II Career at SchoolWith a GPA of just 1.9, he was deemed academically ineligible by the NCAA. While the talent was there, the offers were not. Johnson couldn’t receive a single FBS offer. With the conventional path to the NFL blocked off, the promising defensive end talent was forced to abandon the bright lights of Division I college football and travel the junior college (JUCO) route. In February 2017, he left Minnesota and made the 600-mile journey to Independence Community College in Kansas. Johnson’s dominance at the JUCO level ensured a very different recruiting process at the end of 2018. As the No. 1 JUCO prospect in the nation, Johnson attracted over 20 offers, with multiple programs in several Power Five conferences wanting to land the four-star pass-rush prospect. During his first season with the Bulldogs in 2019, Johnson had the opportunity to demonstrate his ability in a rotational role. Although he saw action in 14 games, his only start came against Murray State. Even during the disrupted offseason of 2020, Johnson worked hard to develop from his first season. He worked out in his garage with weights purchased by his father. Additionally, the pass rusher spent time at the Eden Prairie field working on elements of his game. He was aware that the athletic ability he’d demonstrated throughout his career would only take him so far. Instead of lining up for the Bulldogs in 2021, Johnson transferred to Florida State. It was another twist in his journey to the NFL Draft and one with the potential to backfire as the Seminoles defense had been, for want of a better word, terrible in 2020. Rather than backfire, the move has ignited Johnson’s NFL Draft stock. Johnson has been incredibly productive through the first nine weeks of the 2021 college football season. He impressed right out of the gate with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as FSU played Notre Dame close in front of a national audience. |
Jermaine Johnson II NFL Draft Player ProfileJohnson’s athletic ability has been lauded since his high school days. That doesn’t always translate as your career progresses. However, for Johnson, it certainly has. He ran a 4.5 40-yard dash in high school, and there’s little to suggest that he won’t run that at 260 pounds at the NFL Combine. Against Alabama, he went toe to toe with Najee Harris, who ran a 4.45 at the 2021 NFL Combine. He routinely shows this speed in pursuit, and there were several examples in the games studied of him tracking down a player beyond the line of scrimmage. Athletic ability isn’t defined purely by speed, however. Johnson also has an impressive first step, explosiveness at the line of scrimmage, and has showcased remarkable lateral agility. The Florida State defensive end uses this lateral agility to be a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage. He can seamlessly shift from attacking the outside track to cutting inside and pressuring from the interior of the defensive line. If he maintains his pursuit around the outside, he has the speed, explosiveness, and bend to get to the quarterback successfully. If you want a graphic example of how athletic Johnson is, switch on 2020 Georgia vs. Alabama and watch him go to work against Evan Neal. The Alabama offensive tackle is as athletic as they come in this NFL Draft class. Johnson had multiple winning reps where he dipped, exploded around, and then ducked under the blocking attempts of the Crimson Tide tackle. |
 |