An in-Depth Look at the Houston Texans' Most Intriguing Selection, Kevin Johnson
Cornerbacks Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson found out on Thursday night who their newest young protege would be.
The pick, Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest, doesn’t model his game on the Texans’ steely starters, though. Instead, Johnson looks up to the Cleveland Browns’ Joe Haden as a guy he’d like to base his play around.
“I model my game after Joe Haden on the Cleveland Browns, because I’ve watched him develop into a lockdown cornerback in the NFL,” Johnson told HoustonTexans.com. "I think some of his traits fit high on him as a cornerback.”
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It’s funny that Johnson looks up to Haden. Patrick Peterson or Richard Sherman would probably be the more popular picks among rookies, but Johnson likely sees a lot of himself in Haden’s game.
At No. 16, the Texans’ options were endless last week. General manager Rick Smith could’ve gone wide receiver or drafted an entirely different cornerback, like Byron Jones. But clearly, after meeting at the combine, the Texans were pretty much sold on Johnson.
After dominating physically and athletically last season in the ACC, it’s not hard to see why Johnson is a fan of Haden’s. The Texans have drafted a cornerback who drew headlines for intimidating opponents with scary hits, and after ranking 11th in completions allowed last season, having a bruiser like Johnson on the roster isn’t a bad idea.
As a whole, Johnson is a complete corner and looks like a player who has studied the game for years. He might like to lay the smack down every now and then, but Johnson’s simple fundamentals are pretty flawless.
Starting from the beginning, the first thing that’s noticeable (which you’ll see in the photo above) is how far Johnson likes to line up away from his receiver. He’s notably comfortable in all kinds of coverage, whether it be man, zone, press or off, but nine times out of 10, Johnson will give his man room before things get physical.
Once the play develops, Johnson closes the gap quickly in off coverage. You can see in the photo below that he reads the quarterback’s eyes and keeps his vision in the backfield, and once Johnson falls in rhythm with the receiver’s footwork and speed, he does a great job of staying side by side.
In this game against Florida State, Johnson was tested a lot on deep routes by Jameis Winston targeting receivers on their outside shoulder. Since Johnson does tend to give his man five to 10 yards of room initially, it allows him to make great use of his speed and stop the receiver from blowing right by him.
The result in this play was an incompletion, and as you’ll also see in the video above, this is how close Johnson keeps in contact with his receiver. In this particular game, he even got away with a few jersey tugs, but Johnson normally stays shoulder-to-shoulder with his man and has the awareness to get his arms between the flight of the ball.
Since Johnson is so physical, he might have the tendency to give up a few penalties in the NFL. Referees aren’t as lenient at the pro level, and Johnson does seem to wind up entangled with receivers down the sidelines every now and then.
The Texans ranked 23rd in penalties last year, so this isn’t great news. The fact that Johnson was also ejected against Louisville and made a throat-slashing gesture toward the Florida State bench in the next game means he’ll need to let cooler heads prevail if he wants to succeed in Romeo Crennel’s system.
Johnson no doubt plays with a chip on his shoulder, and the Texans should like that. In off coverage he’s great, but what’s Johnson like making tackles or defending the run?
Against the Louisiana-Monroe, the offense tried to trick Wake Forest’s defense on numerous screen attempts. The video below is an example, but make sure to pay close attention to where Johnson is lined up.
Johnson is again miles away from the receiver. The play begins to develop, and Johnson takes off covering his man, who is running a fake route up to about the 25-yard line. The defense then realizes it’s a screen pass to the running back, and while he's still engaged with the receiver, Johnson sprints from the 25 right back to around the 38-yard mark to make the tackle.
All of this unfolds in a matter of four seconds. It’s unreal speed, and it’s no wonder teams were so curious to watch Johnson undergo change-of-direction drills at the combine.
In all honesty, though, Johnson was at his best in the example above. There are times, such as against Florida State, where Johnson was easily blocked on screens, so don’t expect him to always be a fantastic tackler. Johnson also seems to struggle against strong, powerful running backs, even though he can wrap up most receivers with ease.
Speed, physicality and coverage, we’ve now covered. There is a part of Johnson’s game that might go unnoticed however, and that’s his hustle. On run support Johnson won’t always be the one making the tackle, but he’s always the one rushing over to give linebackers a hand bringing down the running back.
The best part about all of this is that Johnson can help out on special teams. Below, a blocked punt turns into an easy touchdown for Wake Forest, and again, take note of where Johnson is lined up and how quickly he finds the ball.
Way over on the edge, Johnson is ready to pounce on the punter. Johnson isn’t the one who makes the block, but he's the first one in the backfield, so he gets to claim the touchdown.
Since the Texans are so thin at cornerback, we’ll definitely see some of these types of plays in 2015. If opposing teams really want to beat Johnson, they’ll take note of his of off coverage and throw hook routes toward the sidelines.
The Texans may not have found the next man-coverage superstar like Darrelle Revis or Charles Woodson. They have found a fiery player who will challenge the entire AFC South, though, and that includes Week 5 and Week 15’s matchups with the Indianapolis Colts.
If it’s somehow Kevin Johnson vs. Andre Johnson by December, expect a show.
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