Roschon Johnson, RB Texas: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Johnson was a four-star dual-threat quarterback recruit from Port Neches-Groves High School in Port Neches, Texas in the class of 2019

Everyone knows Texas Longhorns All-American candidate Bijan Robinson, but did you know his backup also has a future in the NFL? Roschon Johnson, a high school quarterback turned running back, should hear his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Roschon Johnson, RB Texas: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior running back from Port Arthur, Texas

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 247Sports 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.

2021 Production: 12 games, 96 carries, 412 yards, 2 touchdowns + 11 receptions, 83 yards

2020 Production: 10 games, 80 carries, 418 yards, 6 touchdowns + 8 receptions, 51 yards, 1 touchdown

2019 Production: 13 games, 123 carries, 649 yards, 7 touchdowns + 23 receptions, 158 yards, 1 touchdown

Injuries & Off-Field: Played through a toe injury in 2021, played after a lower leg injury in 2022

Awards: 2020 Academic All-Big 12 First-Team, 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First-Team

Pros: Fumbles are rare, fresh legs, special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units, converted high school QB, heavily experienced lead blocker who identifies and eliminates second-level defenders, lets the pads pop when blocking defenders, doesn’t fear contact as a blocker, hands are active and firm on blocks, stays square to blocking assignment in pass pro and keeps his feet from getting stuck in the ground, keeps legs churning through contact, pile mover, plus contact balance, gets skinny through rushing lanes, patient runner who allows rush lanes to develop, flashes of hands catches suggest he deserves a larger role in the passing game, powerful stiff arm, foot speed, sticks his foot in the ground and makes sudden cuts, turns power into speed, absorbs contact and keeps on chugging, knows when to get north-south and punch the accelerator, play strength to break arm tackles, will lower his shoulder in the hole and drop the defender, falls forward after contact, displays burst when he has space to get rolling, good vision and pacing, gets airborne to make defenders miss and maintains his momentum when he lands

Cons: Never been a featured back, limited route tree, some drop concerns on limited targets, minimal snaps in the slot, not dynamic enough to return kicks in the NFL, reading and diagnosing threats in pass pro is a work in progress, sometimes catches the ball with his body, lacks the speed to bounce runs outside consistently, lacks home run speed and ideal burst, limited east-to-west agility, needs a runway to display burst, not an elusive runner in space, lacks lateral bounce and shiftiness to make defenders miss, could understand his blockers’ leverage better on outside runs

Overview: Johnson is unofficially listed at 6'2", 222 lbs. The Texas native 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 on tape.

Overall, 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. Johnson will probably hear his name called somewhere in the range between where Brian Robinson Jr. (98th overall) and Dameon Pierce (107th) went last year.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational back in an inside zone or gap scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Early Fourth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-06-22