5th Round: AZ takes Brandon Johnson OLB

[Goldfield]

Never heard of him

 

[Scott MS]

A little bit of a head scratcher pick. Should be interesting with Bryant Johnson on the team. Now both will have to have their entire first and last names on their jerseys!!

 

[Billy Flynt]

Brandon Johnson
OLB | (6'4", 228, 4.47) | LOUISVILLE

Scouts Grade: 65 Selected by: Arizona Cardinals
Round: 5
Pick (Overall): 9(142)
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Stat Overview
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Strengths: Is tall with good size potential. Is a fluid athlete for such a tall player and also possesses rare speed for his size. Reads keys quickly, has good initial quickness can make plays from sideline-to-sideline. Possesses good lateral mobility and can get through traffic quickly when pursuing to the outside. Takes good pursuit angles and generally does a good job of closing down cutback lanes. Wraps up upon contact and flashes adequate initial pop at the POA. Shows good closing speed when asked to blitz and has the long arms to tip passes when doesn't get to the quarterback in time. Can change directions quickly, possesses good top-end speed and has good man-to-man cover skills. Gets adequate depth and shows good range when asked to drop into zone coverage. Possesses good ball skills, has good instincts and flashes the ability to make the big play in coverage. Blocked a punt in 2004, blocked a kick in 2005 and has the potential to develop into an excellent special teams' player.

Weaknesses: Is tall and lanky. Must add bulk to frame. Doesn't play with great leverage or a wide base, lacks ideal lower body strength and gets rag-dolled at the POA too easily. Doesn't play with a mean steak, runs around blockers rather than stacking them up and takes too long to shed blocks when blocker is able to lock on. Is undersized, is vulnerable to wearing down when teams run at him and may never develop into an every-down player. Appears to play at different speeds, isn't always relentless in pursuit and may take some plays off.

Overall: Louisville red-shirted Johnson in 2001 and he appeared in 13 games in 2002. He started 11 of the 13 games he appeared in during the 2003 season and he started 12 games in 2004. Johnson played in 12 games in 2005 and he finished the season with 44 solo tackles, 72 total tackles and 8.5 tackles-for-loss. He also intercepted two passes, recorded two sacks, forced a fumble and blocked a kick. Johnson's lack of bulk is reason for concern and he will have problems stopping the run until he gets stronger at the point of attack. However, he has the frame to add weight and he has the combination of athletic ability, instincts and speed to develop into a playmaker  as an OLB and as a cover guy on special teams. Johnson projects as a fourth or fifth round pick in 2006.


* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

 

[BACH]

Brandon Johnson
OLB, Louisville
War Room analysis
Strengths: Is athletic with the frame to add bulk. Shows great speed and good quickness. Changes directions well. Makes plays sideline-to-sideline, breaks down well when filling cutback lanes and is an adequate open-field tackler. When blitzing, shows a nice closing burst. In coverage, shows good awareness and athleticism and adequate ball skills.

Weaknesses: Must get stronger and bulkier. Is a liability against the run; lacks the lower-body strength to hold ground at the point of attack. Tends to get manhandled because of lacking strength.

Bottom line: Johnson is intriguing because of his speed, athleticism and still developing frame. He has the potential to be a disruptive force on special teams and might earn a roster spot as a situational pass rusher and nickel linebacker while his body develops. Johnson likely will be drafted early in the fourth round.

Dan Pompei analysis
Is a tall, thin athlete. Has the speed and change of direction to cover. Makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Isn't very physical; good fullbacks can blow him up. Some teams think he could play safety.

 

[Shogun]

YES! He's an athletic beast, but never really did anything at Louisville. He's crazy talented though.

 

[Zeno]

umm... good pick?? or not??

Sounds like an athletic developmental guy.

 

[The Commish]

Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.

 

[CardShark]

Sounds like a project player that happens to be an excellent athlete.

 

[BACH]

Best OLB stil available according The War Room

 

[Assface]

Brandon Johnson
OLB | (6'4", 228, 4.47) | LOUISVILLE

Looks like a Clancy type of player.

 

[Scott MS]

Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.

He was already selected (as was Scott of Texas) a few picks before.

Should of picked Reggie Bush, oh forgot we didn't have the 2nd pick.

 

[CardShark]

Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.

He was already taken

 

[MrY]

REmember that our Special Teams just blew last year...he could be major help there

 

[WildBB]

YES! He's an athletic beast, but never really did anything at Louisville. He's crazy talented though.

Why not Parham?

 

[football karma]

athlete -- fastest of the OLB's left --

this guy if for special teams and to develop on the weakside, where he can chase rather than be at the poa

 

[ajcardfan]

Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.

He was taken by New England earlier in the round.

 

[stretchthefield]

Strengths:
Has an outstanding frame that he can easily bulk up...A extraordinary natural athlete...Very smooth and has tremendous speed and quickness...Moves well and has sideline-to-sideline range...Has good instincts...Was very productive...Upside.

Weaknesses:
Is going to have to put on quite a bit of weight....Has to really commit himself to getting stronger...Struggles to take on and shed blockers...Work ethic has been questioned...Needs a lot of development in terms of his play as well as his body.

Notes:
Certainly has some intriguing tools to work with but is quite a project when it comes to physical maturity...Has a lot of potential which could lead to some team taking a shot on him earlier than expected...Probably a long-term experiment.

 

[football karma]

YES! He's an athletic beast, but never really did anything at Louisville. He's crazy talented though.

lets not get carried away. there is a reason he lasted until the fifth round

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

I watched him a little bit before. He is tall as hell but skinny. What I do remember about him is that he cannot take blockers on and is not very strong. The game I watched he was run at all day long.

He is hoeever fairly good at picking and dodging through blockers while pursuing the ball carrier. Could be a good blitzer

My take it he is a project that hopefully can add 30lbs to that 6'5 frame

 

[az jam]

They wanted an OLB so this is no real surprise. I'm sure the size and speed were key points. Will add some depth.

 

[The Commish]

He was already taken

I suck at life. I apologize.

 

[kerouac9]

This pick really puts the pressure on Darryl Blackstock. Their scouting reports are almost identical.

Like in the second round, this looked like two good prospects were going to make it down (O'Callahan & Scott), but got snatched right ahead of us.

I wonder if this isn't a kind of "Antonio Smith" kind of pick.

 

[arthurracoon]

Dan Pompei analysis
Is a tall, thin athlete. Has the speed and change of direction to cover. Makes plays sideline-to-sideline. Isn't very physical; good fullbacks can blow him up. Some teams think he could play safety.

are we one of them?

 

[Pariah]

Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.

We don't employ zone blocking-- or, at least we haven't to date.

 

[kerouac9]

Why not Parham?

Because he's the opposite of what Clancy looks for in his defensive players?