David Johnson NFL Draft 2015: Scouting Report, Grade for Cardinals' Round 3 Pick

STRENGTHS

A huge running back with speed, strength, agility and hands, David Johnson could be a small-school steal in this draft. Johnson dominated the small-school scene, gaining over 1,000 yards rushing in three straight years. He is a monster with the ball in his hands and has the power to run over defenders—something he did often in the Missouri Valley Conference.

He has the speed to turn the corner on outside runs and can be a threat to accelerate away from the second level on inside runs. Johnson falls forward at the end of his runs and looks for contact in the open field, showing balance and power to pick up plenty of yards after first contact. He’s a downhill runner who hits his top gear fast. He is also an accomplished receiver with soft hands and good routes. At the Senior Bowl he looked like a tight end until he started taking handoffs and returning kicks.

WEAKNESSES

Johnson is a high-cut, long strider who runs high and upright. You don’t see the twitchy, quick bursts from him in space to make tacklers miss. He loves to stomp hard on his inside foot and make cuts to the outside, but he stops his feet completely when he does this. That lets defenders catch up to him behind the line of scrimmage. Johnson likes the cutback and sometimes takes it when he doesn’t have to, leading to questions about his vision.

PRO COMPARISON: Charles Sims, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Johnson is bigger than Charles Sims, but from a style and ability standpoint, they are very similar players.

2014 STATISTICS

Rushing Attempts     Rushing Yards        Touchdowns
287                                   1,553              17

FINAL GRADE: 5.49/9.00 (Future Starter)