Anthony Johnson Jr., S Iowa State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Johnson was a three-star cornerback recruit from St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. in the class of 2018

Iowa State safety Anthony Johnson Jr. is a redshirt senior who converted from cornerback to a slot defender/safety hybrid role in 2022. He recently participated in the NFLPA Bowl and is invited to the Scouting Combine ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Anthony Johnson Jr., S Iowa State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior safety from St. Petersburg, Fla.

Background: Johnson was a three-star cornerback recruit from St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 1,335 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,364 for On3.com. Johnson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 72 grade out of 100. He committed to Iowa State over offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Marshall, Tulane, USF, and Western Kentucky. Johnson was a three-year starter at St. Petersburg, where he earned All-State honors twice and was a member of the Tampa Times All-Tampa Team in 2017. He amassed 36 tackles, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles as a high school senior despite missing time with an injury. As a junior, Johnson totaled 46 tackles, seven interceptions, and 16 pass breakups. The Florida native posted 31 tackles, six interceptions, and ten passes defensed as a sophomore. Johnson was born on Dec. 2, 1999.

2022 Production: 12 games, 60 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defensed

2021 Production: 13 games, 55 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes defensed

2020 Production: 12 games, 42 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 passes defensed

2019 Production: 13 games, 60 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed

2018 Production: 12 games, 28 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 5 passes defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed half of his high school season in 2017

Awards: 2019 & 2020 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2021 & 2022 First-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2019, 2020, & 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2022 Second-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches), 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, four years of playing outside cornerback, gained experience playing in the slot in 2022, experience at outside corner should help him cover tight ends, appears to have good arm length, upside blitzing from the slot, willing to contribute in run support, challenges blockers, quick to trigger downhill against outs, stick routes, and shallow crossers, reads the quarterback’s eyes

Cons: Age, limited ball production, lean build, narrow frame, uninspiring speed, doesn’t have sideline-to-sideline range, still adjusting to his new role, missed tackles are a concern, tries to drag down players as a tackler instead of driving through them, gets run over by powerful backs, angles to the football are too steep, doesn’t consistently show high effort in pursuit, can be sucked downhill by action in the backfield and open throwing lanes over his head, struggles to navigate crowded middle of the field, some communication and assignment issues vs. TCU (2022), some agility limitations prevent him from seamlessly gearing down and redirecting to another threat, gives tight ends too much cushion up the seam, Bijan Robinson had him spinning around in coverage 25 yards downfield

Overview: Johnson took official measurements at the NFLPA Bowl. He’s 6001 and weighs 208 lbs. He has 8 3/4-inch hands, 32-inch arms, and a 75 1/2-inch wingspan. Johnson is a highly experienced collegiate defensive back with more than 3,100 defensive snaps to his name. He played traditional outside corner for four seasons at Iowa State before deploying in a hybrid slot/safety role in 2022. Johnson’s experience in coverage should help him cover tight ends as part of his new role at the next level. The All-Big 12 selection has special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Johnson appears to have good arm length. He shows upside blitzing from the slot. He’s willing to come downhill to challenge blockers and contribute in run support. Johnson is quick to trigger on outs, stick routes, and shallow crossers. He reads the quarterback’s eyes to get an early jump on some plays. The Florida native is an older prospect who doesn’t clearly excel in a specific traditional role. He has a lean, narrow build and displays uninspiring range and speed. Johnson had limited ball production at Iowa State and was still adjusting to his new role this past season. As such, he was involved in a few communication and assignment issues in 2022. Missed tackles are a concern for Johnson. He tries to drag down players as a tackler instead of driving through them and gets overpowered by stronger running backs. He also takes steep angles to the ball, which sometimes leads to him falling into a trail position. In coverage, Johnson gets sucked downhill by action in the backfield and opens throwing lanes over his head. The redshirt senior gives tight ends too much cushion up the seam. He struggles to navigate crowded sections of the field and has some agility limitations that prevent him from easily gearing down and redirecting to other threats. Bijan Robinson had Johnson spinning around in coverage 25 yards downfield last season, which raises further questions about the veteran’s coverage upside.

Overall, Johnson is a highly experienced and versatile defensive back, but he didn’t showcase the upside in 2022 needed to justify anything more than a late-round selection. He’s a tweener who could see action in a niche role for defenses that use three-safety sub-packages.

Role & Scheme Fit: Reserve sub-package defensive back for three-safety looks

Round Projection: UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 02-25-23