DraftTracker
Round | Team | Pos. | School | Name
Travis Johnson
DE (6-3, 290, 5.1)
Florida State
Grade: 95
Comments
Is a quick, penetrating one-gap DT with adequate size for his type. Will show closing burst as a pass rusher. Shows excellent initial quickness and burst. Anticipates the snap well. Fires out of his stance quickly and with good leverage. Has been much more effective disrupting the run than he has been rushing the passer. Can be extremely disruptive as a one-gap penetrating DT versus the run. Light really came on as a senior. Is at his best vs. the run when allowed to penetrate as a three-technique type. Plays with adequate leverage. Is at his best on the move. Does a good job of finding the ball once he has gotten through the LOS. Motor was much improved as a senior. Is an above average athlete. Is quick and mobile. Has a strong upper body. Is a powerful hitter with good open-field tackling skills. Will pursue and make plays from behind versus the run.Has adequate size for one-gap DT but isn't massive or overpowering. Will struggle at the POA when reached by bigger OL. Lacks ideal lower body strength to anchor. He has trouble getting off of blocks when reached and needs to show more moves as a pass rusher. Has decent recognition skills but not great. However, he will take himself out of some plays by getting too far upfield. Also needs to show better awareness as a pass rusher. Needs to get his arms up and do a better job of obstructing the QB when he's not going to get to the QB on the rush. Johnson played in 11 games in 2001 and was a part-time starter from 2002-'03 before taking over as a fulltime starter in 2004. Johnson's draft stock improved greatly thanks to his breakout senior season in 2004, when he finished with 50 tackles, 18 TFL and 2.5 sacks. Johnson is a one-gap defensive tackle prospect with very good initial quickness, mobility and short-area power. He also has adequate-to-good size for that type of DT prospect. Durability and off-the-field issues slowed his development as a junior in 2003; he had a shoulder injury that required surgery and went through a sexual assault case that eventually he was acquitted from but naturally occupied his time and energy. Healthy and on the straight-and-narrow, Johnson was rededicated and played the best football of his career as a senior in 2004. His motor was running at an all-time high and he emerged as one of the biggest impact defensive linemen in the country. Those aforementioned injury and character issues in the past could still haunt him on draft day but Johnson should still be the top defensive tackle taken in 2005, likely in the middle of the first round.
* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.
