The third round pick out of Northern Iowa University is becoming a household name. David Johnson has continued his fantastic ending to last season into the first two games of 2016. In both games this year he has ended with more than 100 yards from scrimmage, giving him over 100 yards from scrimmage on six of his seven starts.
Spotlight on David Johnson
The Draft Pick
During the Week Two contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, analyst Charles Davis mentioned a story about last year’s draft from general manager Steve Keim. The Cardinals were on the phone with Ameer Abdullah. They told him that they were going to take him with their pick late in the second round, but two picks ahead of them the Detroit Lions drafted him. On the Amazon original series All or Nothing you can see Keim get very upset when they lost that pick.
The Cardinals waited until the next round to draft Johnson. The big back was recruited out of high school as a wide receiver. His ability to catch out of the backfield, matched with his size and speed was too intriguing to pass up.
The Rookie Season
David Johnson did not get the start going into the season after Chris Johnson was signed. Cardinals fans were shown flashes of his big play ability early, however. He scored a three touchdowns in his first two games. One each on a run, a pass, and a kickoff return to tie a record with Gale Sayers.
He was able to take over the starting role at the end of the season after Chris Johnson was put in injured reserve. He led the league in yards from scrimmage over the last five games of the season.
Through Week Two
Going into this season experts were high on Johnson. The expectations continued to rise throughout the off season he was lauded as a top pick in fantasy football. While the Cardinals disappointed against New England in their first game, David Johnson was one of the few bright spots. Specifically this run.
DAVID. JOHNSON.
Are you kidding?!?The @AZCardinals RB turns a loss into an incredible run! 👀 #NEvsAZ https://t.co/cbXiAl3zhA
— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2016
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Two, Johnson continued his success. With 98 yards on just three catches, Johnson broke off big chunks of yards. He added 45 yards on the ground making some very tough runs look easy.
What to Expect
The Cardinals will feed Johnson the ball any way they can. He will continue to be a threat in both the run and passing game. Defenses have their hands full when preparing for the Cardinals offense as long as Johnson keeps producing.
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