Former Utes Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson Star Together
Entering the 2020 NFL season, Utah had seven rookies taken in the draft and on active 53-man rosters across the league,
Now one-quarter of the way through the season and it appears that two Utes have emerged from the rest of the pack as the most impressive rookies on the season.
When Chicago selected Jaylon Johnson in the second round of the draft, it was with the intention that he would take over as one of the starting cornerbacks for the Bears this upcoming season.
It's safe to say he's lived up to those expectations, as he currently has the highest-rated Pro Football Focus grade among rookie cornerbacks.
For Julian Blackmon, he was selected in the third round of the NFL draft by Indianapolis, all while recovering from ACL surgery. The Colts didn't know how much they were going to get out of Blackmon this season, but when his name was there in third round, they had to take him.
“I didn’t want to lose him behind us. We thought there was a chance he would be there in the third. We were worried that he wouldn’t be there in the fourth,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said after Day 2 of the draft. “He’s got the ACL injury, we know that he won’t be ready probably until late August, early September which means that he might not even really help us until October.”
All it took was some action in the second game of the season for the Colts to realize how special Blackmon is — and how them tacking a chance on him is proving its worth.
“He was all around the ball, all around the ball. I mean just from my eye watching the game, he played great,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said after Blackmon's debut. “He made the one play on the Cover 2 down the middle – that looked like it’s going to be a big play for their offense, and he breaks it up, gets his head and hat on the ball. Those are the instincts that we saw on film. We know that that’s the player that he’s going to be.”
Now after sharing the backfield for the past three years at Utah, Johnson and Blackmon finally got to share an NFL field together this past Sunday. Blackmon's Colts knocked Johnson's Bears from those of the unbeaten, winning 19-11 as both teams sit at 3-1 on the season now.
Johnson finished with two tackles in the game, but did add two passes defended both of which prevented big gains and potential touchdowns. On the season, he has 13 tackles and seven passes defended, second-most in the NFL this year.
But it was Blackmon who made the biggest play, having an interception and three passes defended in the win.
“Very excited about Julian’s progress physically, mentally, in every way in our scheme, just the way he is in the huddle,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said in his postgame video press conference. “His presence, you feel the confidence from him, he’s making plays. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of conviction right now and I just think it will keep getting better.”
Blackmon's emergence as the team's starting free safety has given the Colts a true threat in the backend of any defense, His ability to thrive in pass coverage while come up and make a big hit is a major reason why Indianapolis is thriving.
This is was the first of many expected battles between former college teammates to now players in the NFL. But if nothing else, this future, friendly rivalry is showcasing that the Johnson and Blackmon are more than ready for the NFL.
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