Anthony Johnson NFL Draft Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6′-0″
Weight: 205 pounds
School: Iowa State
2023 NFL Draft: Anthony Johnson Scouting Report
After yet another successful season at the college level, Anthony Johnson has decided to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. The safety is coming off of yet another reliable season, as he allowed just 19 receptions on 29 targets for 236 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on 606 snaps
Anthony Johnson originally entered the college football world back in 2018. While he was able to see the field as a true freshman, he first started to break out during his Sophomore season. Earning an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team, the 13-game starter finished the season with 60 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, two sacks and 10 pass breakups.
Johnson spent his five years in college at both cornerback and safety, but he projects to be a safety at the next level.
Strengths
- Plays every snap like he’s shot out of a cannon – looks to get to the ball as fast as possible;
- Hard-hitting punisher that rarely misses tackles or allows guys to fall forward;
- Strong build – should be able to dish out hits without destroying his body;
- Positional versatility – could fill in at cornerback if injuries strike;
- Impressive ability to diagnose pass plays and break early on the ball;
- Never out of the play – attacks till the final whistle and does his best to chase down plays.
Weaknesses
- Lacks the range to be a deep safety – will have to live close to the box;
- Can be overly aggressive and overpursue plays;
- Inexperience at the safety position shows up against complex blocking patterns;
- Doesn’t have the speed to make up lost ground when beat;
- Unimpressive athletic testing implies there is a limit to how good he can be.
NFL Comparison: Kenny Vacarro
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Rounds 3-4
Bottom Line on Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson is something of a work in progress right now, but the right coaching staff should be able to unearth a good NFL player. The positives are all over the tape, as Johnson’s highlight reel is about as satisfying as any safety in this class. The Iowa State product dishes out punishment on a regular basis, as he ferociously charges up the middle and delivers hard, sound tackles in the run game. He has the build to handle this type of play style, and his experience at cornerback both provides depth in case of injury and helps him diagnose plays in the passing game.
However, while the highlights are great, there is some work to do here. Johnson is relatively new to the safety position, and that inexperience shows up on a fairly regular basis. The safety is something of a gambler against both the pass and the run, as he often tries to go for the big play. While it looks great when he guesses correctly, bad things happen when he guesses wrong. At the NFL level, he’ll need a coach that can teach him when to take those kinds of risks.
While that issue is theoretically fixable with the right coaching staff, Johnson’s lack of athleticism is not going to change. He’s far too slow to play Cover-1 deep, and he also struggles to catch up to his receiver when beat. Ultimately, Anthony Johnson can become a helpful box safety that can make plays near the line of scrimmage, but it’s hard to see him ever turning into anything more than that.
Main Photo: Nirmalendu Majumdar – USA Today Sports
