Big Ten Football Top 150 Players: No. 127, Josh Johnson, Purdue CB

No. 127, Josh Johnson, No. 28, CB, Purdue 

2011 Stats: 64 tackles (47 solo), 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, 8 passes broken up

Strengths

Johnson is a true senior coming back for his third season as a starter. That's great news for a Purdue secondary that's going to see a lot of passes thrown his way—and away from junior-to-be Ricardo Allen, who has made All-Big Ten teams in his first two years as a Boilermaker.

Johnson has solid tackling skills and athleticism, and Purdue's defensive play-calling is creative and aggressive enough that he's used in unconventional ways to make big plays happen.

Weaknesses

Johnson's cover skills aren't elite by any stretch. The fact that Danny Hope is open to moving Johnson to safety in spot situations indicates that the Purdue coaching staff knows Johnson's skill set doesn't perfectly match with that of a shutdown corner.

2012 Prediction

Johnson's going to get pushed for the second cornerback position by Normando Harris in 2012. Although, aside from his two-interception spring-game performance, Harris hasn't been practicing at the level that Danny Hope should expect to unseat a third-year incumbent.

At the same time, the goal here isn't for Johnson to stay on the field—it's for him to do good things on the field. On that note, he's going to need to improve from 2011. Defenses aren't going to leave him alone, so if Purdue's going to improve on its 52nd-ranked pass efficiency defense from 2011, it starts with Johnson limiting the effectiveness of the guy in front of him.