3 sleepers Philadelphia Eagles drafted who could become stars

There’s a case here for sixth-round pick defensive end Tarron Jackson, but Johnson was taken 43 picks later and he might be the better player.

Johnson is the first player in Tulane history to earn All-Conference honors in three straight seasons. Over the course of his career he tallied 35 tackles for loss and had 21 sacks, along with 11 pass breakups and six forced fumbles.

The knocks on Johnson are his size (240 pounds) and short arms (32 inches). He was listed as an edge rusher, but the Eagles tabbed him as a linebacker when they announced the pick. Despite primarily being a standup rusher in college, that seems to hint at his possibly being used some as an off the ball linebacker.

Johnson said he is up to the task if called upon to do more than strictly get after the quarterback. But it appears the Eagles will indeed primarily deploy him as a pass rusher.

"For me, it’s whatever the coaches are going to need me to bring to the table, I’m going to bring,” he said. “I’m a very versatile player. I’ve done a little bit of both. When I talked to the coach and the GM and stuff, they said they want me to be a guy that can come in there and be a good edge rusher for them and sack the quarterback, get some hurries and rushes and stuff."

Johnson will start out as a backup, with most if not all of his work on passing downs. But as seventh-round fliers go, this is one who could become a double-digit sack guy in time.