What Scouts Said About Anthony Johnson
The Packers selected Iowa State safety Anthony Johnson Jr. with pick 242 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here’s what the experts said about Johnson during the pre-draft process.
Strengths
Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Above-average height/length/weight for the position ... uses his long arms to play through the hands of receivers and get the ball to the ground ... has a knack for finding angles to the catch point without going through receivers ... quarterbacks don’t want to try to throw over him ... creates timing issues for routes with his jam ... presses receivers to the sideline and looks for the ball ... reads route breaks and works hard to maintain proper positioning ... coaches trusted him to restrict run lanes and finish as a tackler ... brings a lot of energy the moment he enters a room, NFL scouts say ... impressive tackle and ball production, especially the past two seasons for the Cavaliers.
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — Tough, run-defending safety who flashes ability against the pass. Aggressive, punishes opponents, and delivers crushing blows. Immediately diagnoses plays, works hard to defend passes, and fires upfield against the run. Effective facing the action, has a burst to the ball out of his plant, and displays closing speed to get to the action laterally. Has experience at cornerback. Fluid pedaling in reverse and smooth flipping his hips in transition.
Bleacher Report — Versatile defender with experience at both corner and safety. Violent player with very good physicality as a run defender. Good ball skills from days as a corner. Impressive ability to elevate and make plays on the ball.
NFL Draft Buzz — Possesses good straight-line speed, fluid hips to turn and run, and explosiveness out of his breaks. Good vision and anticipation as a free safety. Has the change-of-direction ability to mirror underneath but did solid work out of press and off coverage. Reads and deciphers quickly, reacting in a flash with a nose for the ball. Jumps routes and drives fast on plays in front of him. He’s tall-framed with long arms to match. With his powerful hands, straight-line speed, and fluidity in his hips, turning and chasing downfield shouldn’t be a problem. Flashes some physicality as a hitter. Can deliver the big hit and isn't afraid to jump inside to slow the ball.
Joe Marino, Draft Network — Length and zone coverage instincts. Outstanding ball skills. Physical and competitive
The 33rd Team — Diagnoses quickly and flies to the ball with urgency. He will run through contact and give up his body to make a play himself or just blow up the play design. He explodes out of plant and drives hard on the ball or to close down air in his zone. Stays patient and square when lined up in the slot.
Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Team captain with 54 career starts under his belt. Sharp change of direction in the open field. Rockets downhill to attack the run near the line. Steps in and thumps blockers and runners. Cornerback experience helps with route recognition. Pedals and breaks with fluidity when matched over the slot. Range to drive off the hash and challenge a boundary throw.
Weaknesses
Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Below-average speed and lower-body muscle-twitch by NFL standards ... upright in his backpedal and movements, impeding his ability to click and close ... struggles to sink and swing his hips to match sudden route movements ... needs a half-beat to accelerate after changing directions ... had three coverage penalties in 2022 (two pass interference flags, one defensive holding) ... gives up too much spacing in his attempts to bait throws ... continued technique work (in coverage and run support) will help limit costly mistakes ... will be a 24-year-old NFL rookie.
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — Plays to one speed. Does a lot of holding and grabbing over the slot receiver. Slow getting his head back around and faceguards.
Bleacher Report — Relatively new to the safety position. He still has to learn the nuances of the position. Overly aggressive at times, both in coverage and run defense. Average athletic ability. Tightness can show up at times.
NFL Draft Buzz — Gets sloppy with his backpedal when playing off-man and seems to lack the instincts to close on the ball. Not an explosive player and needs to show better bend and flexibility in his drops - plays too high. Is susceptible to double moves, and too often gets unnecessarily handsy when playing trail position
Joe Marino, Draft Network — Stiffness and modest quickness present challenges in man coverage. Needs to develop cleaner footwork to maximize change of direction efficiency. Has a tendency to be grabby
The 33rd Team — Thin framed. Has some tightness when flipping his hips. Will get turned and struggles to get back on top of route. Lack of career ball production. Can be overaggressive and fly by ball carrier rather than break down in space.
Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Still learning run fits and leverage as a safety. Needs to throttle down and play with better control at times. Run-support approach often creates an all-or-nothing scenario. Has trouble gathering weight and making lateral tackles versus cuts. Will take time learning responsibilities and recognition as split safety. Inconsistent hips and leverage from near the hash.
Overall
Dane Brugler, The Athletic — A two-year starter at Virginia, Johnson was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator John Rudzinski’s balanced scheme. After he had trouble getting on the field at Louisville, he resuscitated his career at Virginia, leading the team in passes defended and interceptions in both of his seasons with the Cavaliers. Johnson matches up well physically with size in press-man, and he displays the eye balance for quick reads from off coverage. But his upright stance and methodical gather to burst delay his effectiveness matching routes early and deep. Overall, Johnson looks the part with the coverage IQ and ball skills that has NFL teams interested, but his lack of high-end speed and explosive movements could limit his impact at the next level. He is best suited for a zone-heavy scheme.
Pro Football Focus — You can't ask for a more encouraging first year switching from corner to safety. Johnson has the traits to be a long-term starter at the position.
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network — Johnson was productive and consistent for Iowa State, but he lacks next-level athleticism. He needs to brush up on his coverage techniques but has enough ability to be used as a zone safety.
Bleacher Report — Overall, Johnson is a developmental player at the next level with some intriguing traits. His violence in run defense is a double-edged sword that could prove valuable if he learns to control it. As he refines his angles and game as a whole, Johnson will bring valuable experience at both corner and safety to an NFL roster.
Joe Marino, NFL Draft Network — Johnson provides an attractive skill set for defenses that employ a zone-heavy coverage scheme. He offers elite length to go with strong ball skills and coverage instincts. He thrives when he can play off, cue the backfield, and work into throwing lanes. Johnson has appeal in press coverage where he is effective at using his length to create jams at the line of scrimmage with powerful strikes and good body control. He is more than willing to use his rangy frame to crowd releases and cap routes quickly, taking receivers off the menu for the opposing quarterback. Johnson’s length also shows up at the catch point where he is highly disruptive and showcases strong ball skills. He is above average at locating and breaking on the football. Johnson has good speed and more quickness than expected for a taller corner.
The 33rd Team — Johnson has good eyes to sift through bunch sets and pick up his coverage responsibilities. He’s quick to read and get underneath perimeter blockers. He missed too many tackles, but he shows no fear taking on size or coming downhill in the box. He will run through and blow up receivers who attempt to block on screens and jet sweeps. Though he doesn’t have a fluid transition when flipping his hips and doesn’t have much ball production, he can locate and play the ball in the air without playing the man and shows good hustle to recover.
The way he flies around the field is impressive, as is his ability to make a smooth transition to safety, which is not always the easiest thing to do. His field vision and aggressiveness are natural, and he should be able to grab a backup role and be a standout contributor on special teams.
Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Cornerback turned safety with good athletic traits for the safety position and rare physicality from a former cornerback. Johnson has grown into a safety’s frame but is versatile enough to play near the line of scrimmage or line up over the slot. He moves fluidly with good play speed but is still processing angles and coverage responsibilities at his new position. He will come downhill and hit anything near the line of scrimmage with everything he’s got, but he needs to learn to control his aggression to become a more consistent tackler. Johnson’s traits, versatility and toughness give him a chance to become a starting safety or nickel safety.
Where Anthony Johnson Jr. ranked on evaluators’ big boards
Pro Football Focus — 90
Todd McShay, ESPN — 171
NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board — 224
Bleacher Report — 228
NFL Draft Buzz — 293