2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jermaine Johnson

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Jermaine Johnson, 6-4/259 Defensive End Florida State

Jermaine Johnson Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Instincts

Dangerous edge rusher

Natural edge defender

Excellent motor

Competitor; fighter

Plays hard

Enough speed to get around the corner

Burst to close

Quick once he gets going

Good club move

Active hands

Ability to use hands and feet at same time

Able to shed blocks

Good run defender

Pursues out of his gap

Can hold his gap

Plays bigger than listed numbers

Good arm length – 34.38 inches

Play recognition

Vision

Leader; tone setter

Weaknesses:

Lacks twitch, sizzle on the edge

Lacks elite speed

One-year wonder

Summary: In 2020, Johnson was part of a loaded group of edge rushers at Georgia. Azeez Ojulari was the featured defender, while Johnson, Adam Anderson and Nolan Smith rotated for snaps. Anderson and Johnson both flashed, with Johnson recording four sacks and 14 tackles in backup duty. Giventhat Anderson, Smith, and Travon Walker were returning to the Bulldogs, Johnson transferred to Florida State. Johnson broke out with the Seminoles, showing up all over the field. He totaled 70 tackles, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes batted in 2021. After the season, Johnson put together an excellent week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

Johnson is a pure football player with excellent instincts. He uses his anticipation, recognition, and vision to work off of blocks and is always around the ball. With his size, speed, and tenacity, Johnson has the potential to be an overachiever in the NFL.



Johnson is a dangerous pass rusher. He has nice club move, using his strength to knock tackles off balance. Once he has them on their heels, he uses his burst to fire by blockers, displaying real quickness to close on the quarterback. With active hands and quality technique, Johnson shows a nice ability to use his hands and feet at the same time. While Johnson is not blindingly fast off the edge, he has enough quickness to give tackles problems with speed.

As a run defender, Johnson is a real presence, using his length to stand up blockers and then his strength to shed them. He uses his speed to quickly flow to the ball and get in on tackles. In college, Johnson showed more desire and “want to” than many other college edge defenders, who seemed more consumed with rushing the quarterback. Johnson is a physical defender who battles blockers and puts ball-carriers into the turf hard.

Johnson presents a danger to offenses by fighting off blocks to fire into the backfield to get a tackle for a loss. As stated above, Johnson has a non-stop motor and gives relentless effort. He doesn’t quit on plays and won’t quit until the whistle has blown. With his competitiveness and fight, Johnson is a tone setter and leader for his defense.

The knock on Johnson is a slight lack of speed, twitch, and sizzle as a pass rusher. NFL team sources say Johnson could go somewhere between the back half of the first round to early in the second round during the 2022 NFL Draft.



Player Comparison: Cam Jordan. In terms of playing style, Johnson reminds me of Jordan. Both are dangerous pass rushers who are physical in run defendse. Jordan was a late first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and Johnson could be a late first-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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