Dallas Cowboys: Seven Round Mock v2.0 Combine Edition

Round 3 – John Johnson, S, Boston College

John Johnson is a ball hawk. If you were to look up the term in the dictionary you might see his picture next to it. He takes great angles to the receiver and plays the ball at the highest point when he is helping over the top.

He is advanced when it comes to reading the quarterback and watching his eyes. He rarely gets faked out and doesn’t bite easily on pump fakes. He can come down and play man up, or he can be asked to cover the back end. He will come down in run support quickly and can shed blocks well for a safety.

Where Johnson will need work is his ability to punish a ball carrier. Rarely does he light anyone up and at times will stop and take the hit rather than blast through the ball carrier, causing a few extra yards on his tackles.

If he is the last guy to make a play, he will take soft lines to the football as he gets a little afraid of being burned, rather than make a play on the football. His footwork could use some improvement in his backpedal, but he looks coachable and fixable.

For a third round pick, Johnson could come in and play right away. He won’t be the feared hitter the Cowboys might want, but with him and Jones in the secondary, there could be some fear from quarterbacks to throw one up for grabs.

If he can get his tackling technique to improve, don’t be surprised in a few years if he is considered a steal. As a side note, Johnson is a monster on special teams and is almost always where the ball is making the tackle.