Anthony Johnson, DB Virginia: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Johnson was a three-star recruit from Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Fla. in the class of 2017

Virginia Cavaliers cornerback Anthony Johnson is a sixth-year college player with a future in the NFL either as a safety or an outside corner. The former three-star recruit has the size and arm length scouts look for in modern corners. Johnson should attract attention in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Anthony Johnson, DB Virginia: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Graduate student defensive back from Coconut Creek, Fla.

Background: Johnson was a three-star recruit from Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Fla. in the class of 2017. He was the No. 1,452 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,477 for On3.com. Johnson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. As a high school junior in 2015, he produced 30 stops with ten passes defensed and three interceptions. Johnson also participated in track and field at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep. He graduated from Louisville with a degree in marketing and was the first player in Cardinal football history to break up a pass on three consecutive plays. Johnson transferred from Louisville to Virginia before the 2021 season.

2021 Production: 12 games, 44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defensed

2020 Production: 11 games, 2 tackles, 5 passes defensed

2019 Production: 13 games, 27 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 6 passes defensed

2018 Production: 11 games, 14 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 passes defensed

2017 Production: 0 games (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return and field goal block units, ideal size for a corner, long arms, mirrored and smothered Kevin Austin Jr. (Notre Dame 2021) for most of the game, quick to close from his off-man position on underneath routes, arm length to contest at the catch point, gets his head around to locate the football, squeezes the receiver’s route along the sideline, shows decent recovery speed to prevent getting stacked, good ball skills, quick downhill trigger on short throws, stays on top of wide receivers at the top of the stem, takes receptions away from wide receivers and turns them into interceptions

Cons: Age, penalized nine times in 2021 (often for pass interference), double-digit missed tackles in 2019 and 2021, early to open his hips and declare leaving him vulnerable to outside-in moves and vice versa, not an effective blitzer, motor runs cold in pursuit, takes poor angles as a run defender, not an aggressive tackler, drags down players as a tackler instead of driving through them, remains stuck on wide receiver blocks for too long, backpedal can become too high, doesn’t hand fight with the receiver despite a significant length advantage, allows some separation on inside releases, the one time he really tried to press and kill Kevin Austin Jr.’s route at the line of scrimmage he became flatfooted and was beaten with speed for a touchdown, lunges for one-armed stabs and two-armed punches in press but rarely gets good contact, lunges in press cause him to fall a step behind the receiver, struggles to stay in phase against smaller and shiftier receivers, struggles to stay connected to the receiver on curl and comeback routes, some tightness and hesitation when he goes to flip his hips, sometimes takes eye candy in the backfield, lacks elite change of direction skills

Overview: Johnson is unofficially listed at 6'2", 205 lbs. He primarily aligns at outside boundary cornerback for Virginia. Johnson frequently played man-to-man in 2021, picking the wide receiver up at the line of scrimmage. He also took reps in off-man coverage, but his skill set might be better suited for zone-heavy schemes in the NFL. Playing zone will allow Johnson to use his instincts, speed, and large frame to read and react to plays instead of asking him to stay plastered on potentially more agile athletes. Playing zone could also negate some of the pass interference calls Johnson drew in 2021 for grabbing receivers near the tops of their route stems. The sixth-year cornerback has exceptional length and size for his position. His length allows him to contest receivers at the catch point, and he’s even able to reach all the way around and poke the ball away from some smaller targets. Johnson gets his head around to locate the football and has impressive ball skills. He’s taken 50-50 balls out of the hands of wide receivers before and turned them into interceptions. Johnson displays decent recovery speed to prevent getting stacked. He stays on top of wide receivers at the top of the stem, often smothering the route. Johnson has a quick downhill trigger on short throws and knows when to squeeze wide receiver routes along the sideline. He is sometimes early to open his hips and declare, which leaves him vulnerable to outside-in moves and vice versa. Despite his size, Johnson lacks aggression in many areas of his game. He only displays limited hand fighting with wide receivers throughout the route, and his punches in press coverage are often ineffective. He lunges to land punches in press coverage which miss their marks many times or lack stiffness and allow receivers to get a step ahead of Johnson on the route. He doesn’t challenge blockers with his length and is complacent being stuck on wide receiver blocks. Johnson’s motor doesn’t run hot in pursuit, and he drags players down for tackles instead of driving through them. This low-hitting, dragging style plus some poor angles to the football lead to missed tackles. Johnson struggles to stay in phase against smaller and shiftier receivers and has some difficulty staying connected to receivers on curl and comeback routes. He has some tightness in his hips and lacks elite change of direction skills. The Florida native sometimes takes eye candy in the backfield or on potential wide receiver screens and allows a player to come open downfield. Johnson has the size to play safety if an NFL team asks him to transition, but he lacks the aggressive, downhill mindset to contribute against the run in that role.

Overall, Johnson is an older outside cornerback prospect with excellent arm length, ball skills, and size, but he lacks aggression when defeating blocks and making tackles and suffers from some tightness in his hips.

Role & Scheme Fit: Zone cornerback with frequent press opportunities

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 09-22-22