Al Wilson Believes Alexander Johnson is Broncos' Next All-Pro LB
The Denver Broncos inserted linebacker Alexander Johnson as a starter in Week 5 on the road at the L.A. Chargers. It was his first NFL start and he went on to absolutely dominate the game.
That was on October 6. What has ensued since that game has been a whirlwind of prolific production from the second-year linebacker.
With October officially in the rear-view, Pro Football Focus named Johnson their Defensive MVP of the Month. It's quite the honor, being spotlighted like that by the NFL's leading advanced analytics site.
If the first month of Johnson's career as a starter in Denver is any form of harbinger of what's to come, the Broncos might have found themselves, finally, their next Al Wilson.
That's not hyperbole. Johnson has been that good. Just ask Wilson himself.
“When you watch linebackers, you always wonder if a guy is going to show up on film,” Wilson told DenverBroncos.com. “And obviously this is a guy that just shows up on film. He just seems to be around the ball, he just seems to make plays. Some of those things you just can’t coach. It’s just a natural God-given ability that he has, and he has that natural knack for the ball and instincts that you need to be a good middle linebacker. I believe that he can be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl middle linebacker if he just continues to study the game, stay focused and committed to it. There’s no question he can be one of the best middle linebackers in the business.”
That's some high praise coming from a player many Broncos fans believe to be the team's best all-time middle linebacker. Wilson was a five-time Pro Bowler and earned first-team All-Pro honors in the early 2000s before suffering a scary neck injury that ended his career. The Broncos have been searching for his bonafide successor to man the middle of the defense ever since.
Johnson is PFF's highest-graded linebacker on the season with a 92.4 cumulative grade. He's posted 41 combined tackles (23 solo), with 1.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
Johnson didn't even play on defense in the first quarter of the season and he's still on pace to cross the triple-digit tackle barrier. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Johnson is an enormous and immensely strong linebacker.
What has served him best, though, are his instincts and nose for the ball. He's not the greatest coverage linebacker because he's not the fastest player in a straight line, but that's why playing in Vic Fangio's scheme has been a godsend.
The next couple of games will be a test for Johnson and the Broncos defense, as they'll both be on the road at Minnesota and at Buffalo in Weeks 11 and 12, respectively. Both opponents will present unique challenges offensively.
But so long as Johnson is patroling the middle of that Broncos defense, I'm confident that the team will continue to stop the run and be a stingy passing defense.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
