Derrick Johnson

Derrick Johnson may be the most explosive linebacker in the past few years in college football. He routinely makes big plays, and has done so all four years at Texas. Last year as a junior, Johnson racked up 125 tackles with 20 of them for loss, 2 sacks, 4 INT, and 9 pass break ups. His 3 year totals at Texas are amazing: 328 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 8 INT, and 22 pass break ups.

There aren’t too many linebackers out there that possess the type of physical ability and all around ability on the football field that Johnson has. Johnson is tall, and extremely athletic. He plays sideline to sideline, and has excellent closing speed. He can drop into coverage with ease, and has the ability to make plays on the football in coverage. He is also very good at moving forward towards the passer or stuffing the run. Johnson just has a nose for the football, and is in on every play. He is the type of all around LB every team wishes they could have.

Johnson is about as good a LB prospect as you will find. He looks a lot like LaVar Arrington did at Penn St, and he has the frame to bulk up like LaVar has. If linebackers were put at more of a premium, Johnson could be the first player taken off the board. It looks like he is a Top 5 lock at this point.

Draft Notes

Strengths: Derrick Johnson has sideline-to-sideline range, the smarts to make proper use of that speed, and the controlled recklessness to make his presence known when he reaches his target. A playmaker in every sense of the word. Johnson is a big-play linebacker who always seems to bring his best efforts in the big games. He has a non-stop motor and plays with a lot of passion. He also has a great attitude, is tough, and has a tremendous work ethic ..Powerful tackler...Excellent instincts....Explosive athlete.

Weaknesses: Although Johnson has gotten bigger during his time in Austin, he is still on the light side for an inside linebacker. He lacks the strength to take on NFL linemen and would need to be protected. He is best suited for the 4-3 weakside position. Tends to have a little trouble getting off blocks by bigger offensive linemen.

Notes: May have been the first linebacker selected had he come out after his junior season...Has a brother (Dwight) who played in the NFL and is the cousin of Kevin (Ex-Florida St.) and Ben Emanuel (UCLA). Derrick Johnson has had a huge impact on the Longhorn's defense and is undoubtedly the best linebacker in this year's class. He will most likely be a top-5 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Rated as the current number three pick in our mock draft

Official Bio

An aggressive, speedy and explosive linebacker who established himself as one of the nation’s premier defensive players … earned the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player and the Butkus Award (nation’s top LB) ... was a finalist for the Bednarik Award (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman) and the Lott Trophy (defensive player of the year) in 2004 … was the only defensive player among the 10 finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award … earned unanimous first-team All-America accolades ... was a unanimous selection as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 … named the preseason National Defensive Player of the Year by Lindy's, Athlon and Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook … tabbed a preseason first-team All-American by Street & Smith's … picked as the top NFL prospect entering 2004 by Lindy's … also rated as one of the Top 10 prospects for the 2004 Heisman Trophy by that publication … projected as the nation’s top outside linebacker entering 2004 by The Sporting News … earned a spot on the prestigious Playboy Preseason All-American Team for the second time in 2004 … was one of three Butkus Award finalists in 2003 … was the only returning player among that group … projected by many as a first-round NFL draft pick, but elected to return for his senior year … is the first player in Texas history to be honored as a Butkus finalist and was a semifinalist for the award in 2002 … in 2003, was UT’s first consensus first-team All-American LB since Jeff Leiding in 1983 … tabbed first-team All-America by The Associate Press, the Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Football Foundation …..more