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Florida State's Jermaine Johnson Could Set Edge for Ravens

Ravens can use a defensive end.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson is the latest player to be mocked to the Ravens in the 2022 NFL draft.

Johnson would not only satisfy a need but would be a good fit in Baltimore, according to ESPN draft expert Todd McShay. 

There is a chance that Johnson could be available when the Ravens make the 14th overall selection. 

“Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum would be a good pick after the Ravens lost Bradley Bozeman to free agency. But could the Ravens afford to ignore Johnson's fall out of the top 10 right into their lap at No. 14?” McShay wrote. “They were in the bottom 10 last year in sacks (34), and only Tyus Bowser (seven sacks) and Odafe Oweh (five) made much of a dent there. 

"Johnson had 12 sacks and 46 pressures at FSU in 2021, frequently using his quick feet, powerful hands and arsenal of pass-rush moves to overwhelm blockers. If Linderbaum does end up with the Ravens, I'd bet it comes after a trade down the Round 1 board.”

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Here's a breakdown of Johnson, according to SI's Draft Bible:

Pros:

Jermaine Johnson is an athletic playmaker on the defensive line with a muscular build and long arms giving him a physical advantage. Johnson excels versus the run, playing from 4, 3 and 2 point stances from both the strong and weak side. He has tremendous play strength due to his build and technique - regularly playing with low pad level and gaining inside hand placement to create a pop at the point of attack and then stack his block. Johnson’s raw physicality and power overwhelms tight ends and some tackles and he is a terror to block throughout the full play. Johnson is very disciplined in his gap and also versus read options. 

He’s a quick processor of the play in front of him, tracks the ball carrier through traffic well and has great short-area burst to chase down the ball. Johnson’s motor is a strength as well, regularly pursuing the ball to the sideline or down the field, showing immense competitiveness. Johnson has been extremely productive as a pass rusher in his senior season and his raw power and competitive mentality is the main reason why. 

Johnson shows flashes of attacking “half the man” to win on an outside track with his powerful hands and his go-to move is a chop. Johnson has a penchant for making an impact on 3rd down, improving his normally average get-off and rising to the moment.

Cons:

A fair portion of Johnson’s production has come when left unblocked, cleaning up his teammates' pressure or on a coverage sack - these are lower quality sacks that are not as predictive of future NFL success. Compounding this is his raw hand usage - Johnson struggles to time his pass rush moves and does not have a wide repertoire at his disposal. Additionally, Johnson has average at best get-off, especially when playing from a 4 or 3 point stance. 

He is regularly a split second late off the snap and this puts him at a disadvantage. Furthermore, Johnson struggles to cleanly win versus the pass as his cornering is sub par - he has stiff hips which he struggles to flip towards the quarterback and also loses his balance too often when trying to bend. Johnson really struggles to ward off the tackle’s outside hand and is too often pushed past the pocket, far from making an impact on the play.

Summary:

Johnson is a muscular edge defender with long arms who excels versus the run from 4, 3 and 2 point stances on the strong or weak side of the defense. He is immensely physical and competitive, creating pop at the point of attack and chasing down plays with tremendous effort. 

He shows flashes as a pass rusher but must improve his snap timing, cornering and hand usage. Early in his career, Johnson can be a functional starting edge on run downs and can grow into an above-average starter if he refines his pass-rushing skills.