Jeremiah Johnson RB 5'9 209 Oregon 4.67

Johnson was expected to redshirt in 2005, but he performed so well in practices, that the team yanked that idea and put him on the field. He ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns and averaged over 22 yards per kick return when he saw action. As a sophomore, he ran for 644 yards and ten touchdowns, while adding 100 yards on 17 catches. He also was a factor on special teams, averaging 9.8 yards per punt return and 20.4 per kick return. Johnson continued to split carries with Jonathan Stewart as a junior. In the sixth game however, he tore his ACL and his season ended after rushing for 344 yards and five touchdowns. He bounced back with a strong senior year, rushing for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Strengths

Johnson is a talented all purpose running back. He has been an impact performer in four ways for the Ducks, and could continue that type of versatility in the NFL. Johnson has good quickness and has the shiftiness to make the first defender miss and pick up consistent yardage. He aggressively hits the hole and keeps his legs moving to pick up extra yardage. He runs bigger than his size indicates, because he has one of the best stiff arms at the college level. Johnson has also shown soft hands and has to be accounted for out of the backfield. Not to be outdone, he has also been a playmaker on kick and punt returns.

Weaknesses

Johnson has a lot of versatility, but he does not have one true standout physical trait. He has average size and does not have the power to move the pile but also lacks the explosive speed to be a change of pace guy. Durability has been an issue despite never being a workhorse. He has had shoulder and knee injuries during his career.

Future

Johnson profiles best as a solid rotation back because may not have feature back ability. He can break tackles in space, but he lacks the overall power to run inside and the speed to turn the corner consistently. His best asset is his versatility but he may not have the gamebreaking ability to really stand out in any one area. Johnson needed a strong combine performance to get him taken in the first three rounds, but he was unable to test out well enough. He ran a 4.67 at 209lbs at the combine, then only managed a 4.57 at 213lbs at his pro day. That was a better timing, but the combine time is more accurate considering the Oregon track is considered a fast surface. Johnson isn’t a guy that was expected to wow anyone at the combine, but he failed to pull himself out of the mid rounds with his numbers.