Dynasty League Rookie Prospect: UNI RB David Johnson
By Bruce Matson
Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad running back David Johnson of Northern Iowa (7) carries for a touchdown against North squad safety Adrian Amos of Penn State (4) during the first quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The Senior Bowl displayed a lot of great prospects at the running back position, and David Johnson from the University of Northern Iowa made the most of his opportunity playing in front of a national audience. Johnson rushed for 43 yards on 10 carries and scored on a 19 yard TD run. Johnson was dazzling. He displayed burst and wiggle on his rushing attempts and was very impressive playing against some of the best prospects coming out during this year’s draft.
Looking at Johnson’s stats, you can tell that he has had a very productive career at the University of Northern Iowa.
Freshman: 170 carries 822 yards 12 TDs
Sophomore: 178 carries 1,021 yards 18 TDs
Junior: 222 carries 1,286 yards 14 TDs
Senior: 287 carries 1,553 yards 20 TDs
Production like this is a positive because it shows that he was the key proponent to the team’s success on offense, and demonstrates he has the ability to dominate at his current level of play. The counter argument you can make to Johnson’s productivity is that he played against a lower level of competition, which was easier for him to inflate his statistics. Even though it’s a very small sample size, his productivity at the Senior Bowl is very indicative to what he can do against competition of a higher caliber.
Another thing you have to do with a small school product is that you have to look at their tape with a microscope. Not only does he have to look good on tape, but since he’s playing against lower level of competition, he has to look like a man amongst boys. Johnson looked very good on tape, and looked like he had the ability to contribute to any of the major college programs in the country. He is very explosive and is very good at making tacklers miss while making cuts on a dime. He is an excellent receiver; he catches the ball well with his hands and displays excellent short area quickness while running with the ball after the catch. Johnson is very comparable to DeMarco Murray. He has a similar slashing style that Murray possesses. Both backs are great receivers and are very physical runners that are always fighting for that extra yard. The negative to Johnson is that he runs a little bit upright through the rushing lanes, which will leave him open to taking big hit, which could cause injuries in the future. Johnson will have to work on his pass protection if he wants to get any considerable playing time in the NFL because if you can’t pass protect, it’s hard to get playing time. Johnson is a very explosive, flashy runner and could be a good back in the NFL if he develops.
David Johnson is this year’s Jerick McKinnon. He’s a highly gifted runner coming from a small school. The thing about him is that he’s going to need some time to develop in order him to be an asset to your dynasty team. The thing about Johnson is that he’s going to go in the Mid-2nd to the Mid-3rd round of your rookie drafts like Jerick McKinnon did last year. It’s very palatable to take a very talented back that needs some time to develop because you are not investing much on the player. Once you get out of the first round of the rookie draft, a lot of the prospects you will be selecting will be dart throws, and a lot of them wont pan out. When it comes to the 3rd round of the rookie draft I like to go with the most talented player available and I feel that Johnson is going to be one of the most talented prospects available in the Mid-2nd to Mid-3rd range. He’s a running back that can catch, and he’s also very explosive. So, if he does get an opportunity in the next couple years, he should be able to flash the talents that he demonstrated in college. The combine is going to be very important for Johnson, because if he can show his speed and explosiveness during his workouts, then he will climb a lot of draft boards. I like Johnson a lot, and I will be selecting him with a lot of my 2nd round picks in my rookie drafts.
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