Denver Broncos Select Jamar Johnson in the Fifth Round of the NFL Draft
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After two full days of waiting, Jamar Johnson has a home in the NFL. The Denver Broncos selected Johnson in the fifth round with the 164th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Johnson was the second safety taken by the Broncos in the fifth round, joining Caden Sterns from Texas. Sterns was selected with the 152nd overall pick.
The 6-foot, 205-pound safety was a one-year starter with the Hoosiers, but the media named him first-team All-Big Ten as a junior. Johnson tallied 43 tackles, nearly doubling his total from the season prior.
He also snatched a team-high four interceptions and recorded four pass break ups, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in just eight games in 2020. Johnson's excellent play in the secondary earned him the team's Corby Davis Memorial Award as an Outstanding Back.
Indiana was without senior husky Marcelino Ball last season due to an ACL injury, allowing Johnson and other players to conform to a variety of roles for coordinator Kane Wommack's defense.
In 2019, Johnson made 25 tackles, three sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two pass break ups and one forced fumble.
He appeared in 31 games with the Hoosiers, including eight starts at safety and one at husky. Johnson was active in pass coverage, run support and blitzing opposing quarterbacks.
Over a three-year college career, Johnson totaled 70 tackles and seven interceptions. The Indiana Hoosiers have had a player selected in the NFL Draft for eight straight years.
ESPN evaluation of Jamar Johnson
"Johnson is a versatile defensive back with good balance, quickness and change of direction. He has good range and is quick getting off the hash providing help over the top. He reads the quarterback and tracks the ball, but he gets nosy and caught out of position on occasion.
He looks the ball in, and he's opportunistic. He's not a natural hands catcher. He's a threat to get to the quarterback when he blitzes. He flashes in run support, but he's an inconsistent tackler and appears to make some business decisions."
