NFL Draft Profile: Roschon Johnson, Running Back, Texas Longhorns
Roschon Johnson
Texas Longhorns
#2
Pos: RB
Ht: 6002
Wt: 219
Hand: 0958
Arm: 3200
Wing: 7758
40: 4.58
DOB: 1/31/2001
Hometown: Port Neches, TX
High School: Port Neches-Groves
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Johnson is a powerful back who showcases blocking skills, contact balance, footwork, patience, and upside as a pass catcher, but he lacks the dynamic agility, burst, elusiveness, and lateral movement to warrant a top 64 draft selection.
Evaluation:
Johnson is a powerful, muscular running back who consistently breaks out of the first tackle attempt and rarely fumbles. He moves piles by churning his legs through contact and finishing falling forward. Johnson has a lethal stiff arm and contact balance to break arm tackles and generate yards after contact. He will lower his shoulder in the hole and drop defenders who confront him one-on-one. Despite his power and violent downhill potential, Johnson is a patient runner who often allows rush lanes to develop. He knows how to get skinny through the hole and plays with good vision and pacing. The former four-star recruit sticks his foot in the ground to make sudden cuts and plays with fast feet. He knows when to get north to south and punch the accelerator, displaying burst when he has space to get rolling. Johnson hasn’t played a larger role in the passing game at Texas, but he’s flashed the hands and yards after catch production to play a larger role in that area at the NFL level. Johnson is a special teams ace with experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units. He’s a heavily experienced lead blocker for Bijan Robinson and identifies and eliminates second-level defenders. Johnson doesn’t fear contact as a blocker. His hands are firm and active, and he stays square to his blocking assignment in pass protection while keeping his feet from getting stuck in the ground. Johnson appeared on Bruce Feldman’s 2022 Freaks List for The Athletic. According to Feldman, the high school quarterback turned running back, added five pounds of muscle this offseason and clocked 22.6 miles per hour on the GPS. Despite his impressive summer numbers, Johnson lacks the speed to bounce runs outside or break larger plays consistently. He requires a clear rushing lane to unleash his burst and lacks the lateral agility to bounce between multiple gaps on a play. The senior’s ability to read and diagnose threats in pass protection is a work in progress. There are times when he doesn’t take full advantage of his blocker’s leverage. Johnson is not an elusive runner in space or a dynamic option on kick returns. He runs a limited route tree and has a few drops and body catches.
Grade:
3rd Round
Background:
Johnson was a four-star dual-threat quarterback recruit from Port Neches-Groves High School in Port Neches, Texas, in the class of 2019. He was the No. 237 recruit according to the 247Sports composite board and No. 266 for On3.com. Johnson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 104th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Johnson left high school as Port Neches-Groves’ career-leading passer with 7,710 yards. His 4,900 rushing yards were second all-time in school history. As a high school senior, Johnson completed 161 of 282 passes for 2,343 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing 244 times for 1,623 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a junior, he completed 181 of 279 passes for 2,918 yards, 35 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing 227 times for 1,627 yards and 29 touchdowns. In 2016, Johnson completed 143 of 232 attempts for 2,318 yards, 26 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing 250 times for 1,650 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was the MVP of district 22-5A in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He received 5A All-State honors from the Associated Press as a senior. Johnson was one of five finalists for the 2019 Watkins Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top African American male high school scholar-athlete. He was selected for the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game and participated in the 2018 Nike Elite 11 event. Johnson also competed in track and field in high school. He has two brothers.
