5th Round: AZ takes Brandon Johnson OLB

Scott MS

Registered
Joined
Mar 8, 2004
Posts
4,144
Reaction score
15
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

Pirate, 300 yrs too late
Joined
Sep 10, 2002
Posts
2,038
Reaction score
14
Location
port royal, jamaica
Brandon Johnson
OLB | (6'4", 228, 4.47) | LOUISVILLE

Scouts Grade: 65 Selected by: Arizona Cardinals
Round: 5
Pick (Overall): 9(142)
View by: Round | Player | NCAA School | Position | NFL Team | Flag | All Ranked Players | NFL Draft History
You are signed into Insider and have access to the exclusive draft content below.


Stat Overview
No Stats Available
· View full player card
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

Superbowl, Homeboy!
Joined
May 14, 2002
Posts
6,120
Reaction score
1,908
Location
Expat in Kuala Lumpur
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

Never doubt Mitch. EVER.
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Posts
4,072
Reaction score
1
YES! He's an athletic beast, but never really did anything at Louisville. He's crazy talented though.
 

Zeno

Ancient
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Posts
15,604
Reaction score
5,472
Location
Fort Myers
umm... good pick?? or not??

Sounds like an athletic developmental guy.
 

The Commish

youknowhatimsayin?
Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Posts
2,201
Reaction score
11
Location
San Francisco
Shoulda taken O'Callagan. He's familiar with zone blocking and we could use another Tackle at this point in the draft.
 

Scott MS

Registered
Joined
Mar 8, 2004
Posts
4,144
Reaction score
15
RedStripe27 said:
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.
 

MrY

Veteran
BANNED BY MODERATORS
Joined
Oct 17, 2002
Posts
476
Reaction score
0
REmember that our Special Teams just blew last year...he could be major help there
 

football karma

Michael snuggles the cap space
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Posts
15,291
Reaction score
14,397
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

I see you.
Supporting Member
Joined
May 13, 2002
Posts
38,937
Reaction score
26,359
RedStripe27 said:
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

Registered
Joined
Aug 8, 2002
Posts
329
Reaction score
65
Location
Surrounded by Raider & Cowboy fans
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

Michael snuggles the cap space
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Posts
15,291
Reaction score
14,397
Shogun said:
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

In the league 20 years!
Joined
Mar 3, 2003
Posts
6,360
Reaction score
1
Location
Vegas
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

ASFN Icon
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
Posts
12,995
Reaction score
5,239
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
They wanted an OLB so this is no real surprise. I'm sure the size and speed were key points. Will add some depth.
 

kerouac9

Klowned by Keim
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Posts
38,626
Reaction score
30,372
Location
Gilbert, AZ
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

The Cardinal Smiles
Joined
Dec 6, 2002
Posts
16,534
Reaction score
0
Location
Nashville
BACH said:
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

H.S.
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2003
Posts
35,345
Reaction score
18
Location
The Aventine
RedStripe27 said:
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.
 

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
556,127
Posts
5,433,607
Members
6,329
Latest member
cardinals2025
Top