Jacksonville Jaguars select Antonio Johnson in fifth round of 2023 NFL Draft
After being a significant contributor on the Texas A&M defense over the last two years, defensive back Antonio Johnson is now off to begin his career playing in the NFL. Johnson has been selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 160 overall pick, in the fifth round the 2023 NFL Draft.
A four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class by the On3 Industry Ranking, Johnson came to Texas A&M as a top 60 overall player and the No. 1 player from the state of Illinois. His career began slow, as he played in just four games as a freshman in 2020 during the COVID-19-impacted season. Johnson had just 14 tackles on the season but got the experience he needed for a massive second year in College Station.
In 2021, Johnson posted the best numbers of his career. Johnson had 79 tackles, 8.5 of which were for loss, one interception and five pass deflections. Johnson followed that up with 71 tackles, five of which were for loss, and one sack during this past season. Johnson ended his career with two All-America honors and two All-SEC honors.
“Let me tell you something; competitor, tough, not many safeties can play second level, what I’m saying down in the box and be physical, but then have the ball skills to play on the top end and the third level,” Fisher said. “The safeties that go high like himself, I call coverage guys and other guys are tackle guys, but he has the ability to do both. And see in high school he was a heck of an offensive player, he had 1,000 yards receiving his senior year. So his ability to judge the ball, play the ball in a deep part of the field and cover is elite, which in the pro game you got to do.”
What NFL Draft Analysts are saying about Antonio Johnson
Johnson not only grabbed the eye of his head coach but also NFL Draft analysts everywhere. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following overview of Johnson’s ability, while comparing him to New England Patriots defensive back Kyler Dugger.
“Big, athletic safety with versatility to line up over the slot or inside the box for additional run support,” Zierlein wrote. “Johnson has a strong passion for sticking his nose into whatever is going on near the line of scrimmage. He’s constantly flowing downhill to meet the play as close to the line of scrimmage as possible, but he needs to regulate his pace and angles to prevent overflowing and poor tackle balance. Johnson can be overmatched at the top of the route by top-end receivers, but he’s capable of staying with pass-catching tight ends or a receiver with average speed. Johnson is positioned to become a good starter whose best ball will be played near the line of scrimmage.”