Anthony Johnson Jr

Player Bio
Johnson made an immediate impact as a three-star recruit from St. Petersburg, Florida, earning four starts for the Cyclones at cornerback as a true freshman (28 tackles, five pass breakups in 12 appearances). He garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2019, tying for the team lead with 10 pass breakups and collecting 60 tackles, seven for loss with two sacks in 13 starts. Johnson received that honor from league coaches again in 2020 (40 tackles, two for loss, five pass breakups in 12 starts) and 2021 (55 tackles, three for loss, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles). He switched from corner to safety to lead the secondary in 2022, starting all 12 games (60 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups) to garner second-team all-conference recognition. -- by Chad Reuter

Overview
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.

Strengths
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
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.

They need depth at safety so get a CB that is still learning the position. OK. Gutey knows things.

Looking into Johnson, it reminds me a little bit of the Sam Shields situation. Shields switched from WR to CB his final year and went undrafted. Had he switched sooner and been more polished, he probably gets drafted by the end of day 2. Johnson seems to be in a similar boat. Late college switch who's still learning the position but seems to have a knack for it. 

He'll be wearing 36. I am hoping for Nick Collins. C'mon!

Zero2Cool;457526He'll be wearing 36. I am hoping for Nick Collins. C'mon!

Butler--->Collins--->Johnson 

This is the way

A Packers S with the Peanut Punch!? 

Probably wont even see the field much due to being a rookie.

bboystyle;457649Probably wont even see the field much due to being a rookie.

But currently he's the only Safety signed to the Packers in 2024.

bboystyle;457649Probably wont even see the field much due to being a rookie.

Unless Amos comes back or a vet on a cheap deal gets signed, the S room is Savage (on a short least), a bunch of ST players who are inconsistent when playing D and Johnson. So I think he might end up on the field quite a bit, esp with his experience at CB and covering the slot. 

Seeing a lot on Tweeter with "experts" saying this kid has year one starting potential.