Texas Football: Collin Johnson Talks Draft Preparation in the Social Distancing Era

Like many other young men across the country former Texas Longhorn Collin Johnson has been dreaming of the day his name would be called in the NFL Draft for years, but there's no way he could have known it would go down like this.

For the first time ever the draft will take place virtually, with fans, players and team executives alike all watching from their respective homes as shelter-in-place order and mandated social distancing continue to shape the landscape of not only sports but everyday life in America.

Recently Johnson caught up with the Longhorn Network to talk about the unique nature of this draft and his preparation.

"Man, this literally like a fantasy draft, you know, all the teams are going to be at home in the war room, making their own virtually and stuff," Johnson said. "So it's been crazy. It's been a curveball, for sure. But at the end of the day, you just got to control what you could control. And that's just working hard and being creative when you're with your workout. So that's something I've been doing being more creative working Lifting weights in the backyard, you know, text, I'll text my trainer, the equipment I have, he'll send me a workout plan and it's up to me to be accountable. Do it every day in my backyard."

The months between the end of the college football season and the NFL Draft can be nerve-racking as dozens of professional scouts and thousands of amateur ones all break down a player's abilities ad nauseam. Johnson has made an effort to avoid as much of that speculation as possible.

"I think it's as tough as you make it. You know, if you're out looking for that stuff, or find satisfaction from that stuff, it's gonna be hard because people aren't going to tell you how good you are. And it's going to get to your head, or people are going to tell you how bad you are. And it's going to get to your heart, you know, so it's about being the best you can be being the best player that you can be and focusing on you and continuing to develop because that's the most important thing. So just kind of tune out all that noise and just focus on yourself and your own development. That's what I tried to do throughout college. But again, we're all human again. It's hard because we hear that type of stuff."

"Um, those mock drafts, if you're not probably a top 10 pick, you really don't really know where you're going. So that's kind of how those mock drafts work and you can't get caught up and looking in those mock drafts. Shoot, like, couple years ago, everyone was telling me I was in the lock in the first round for the last two years and then you see why I have today and it's kind of crazy how that stuff works and it's really important not to get too caught up in that and let it get to your head or let it ruin your confidence. Because at the end of the day, like I mentioned, you just need a shot. So when I hear my name called on draft night, one of the days, I'm gonna be thankful."