2022 Official Bolts Draft Superthread

[powderblueboy]

Hutchinson and Ojabo destroyed a lot of pretty good offensive linemen last year

The Penn State LT, Rasheed Walker, looked good against both....he lost a few times, but gave as well as he took.

He has a late 2nd / early 3rd round grade from Thorn.
I kind of like the guy.

[Maniaque 6]

I think the 2nd round is the ideal spot for your RT of the future.
If he can play LT, it's even better.

[Formula 21]

Jameson Williams off the board @14.... along w/the Sauce, Hutchinson, Charles Cross, Jordan Davis and Karlaftis all off the board before 17.

Trent McDuffie, Nakobe Dean, Treylon Burks, Garrett Wilson, Zion Johnson, Devonte Wyatt in the cluster just after 17, and with....

Devin Lloyd, Raimann, Penning, JJ2, and Travon Walker still on the board as well.

CB, LB, WR, Oline, IDL, ED.... ??

Cameron Thomas in the 3rd would be sweet.

[Fleet 1]

Jermaine Johnson reminds me a little of Merriman. An all around good linebacker type. Great nose for the ball. Lives in backfields. Great run game defense. Its not really pretty at times...but dude is a cat in heat on the field. Takes a lot of angles on tackles. Shows he has some good habits and hes taking to coaching. Not a finished product but in the back 20 range? Hes a guy we need to all look at. He times well at the combine he will will really sore up boards. Its not the 12 sacks...is the work rate along with it i like. He produces. But does he translate?

Last year i was really interested in Greg Rousseau. He had a high ceiling i said. ts just one of those gut vibes i get on a player with a shit load of upside. Johnson could be this years Rousseau for me personally. Projecting his future season in college etc. lol

[blueman]

Regardless of combine, would you do Johnson at 17? Our edge was waaaay too damn soft, if we don’t fix it (like our soft middle) it will be exploited again. If we fix interior DL via FA, I like a high pick on EDGE.

[TexanBeerlover]

Issue I have with taking Johnson 17th is not the player but the depth of position in this draft. It’s a deep, talented edge class. Chargers have a chance to get one of the top offensive tackles in the draft potentially the best @ #17 just like last year #13. CB 2nd. DE/DT 3rd. Again, nothing against the player, just letting draft come to you.

[Boltnut]

Issue I have with taking Johnson 17th is not the player but the depth of position in this draft. It’s a deep, talented edge class. Chargers have a chance to get one of the top offensive tackles in the draft potentially the best @ #17 just like last year #13. CB 2nd. DE/DT 3rd. Again, nothing against the player, just letting draft come to you.

We had the #5 offense last year... with 2 guys off the street on the right side. A 2nd round RT would be sufficient.

[dmac_bolt]

We had the #5 offense last year... with 2 guys off the street on the right side. A 2nd round RT would be sufficient.

I too think there’s more gain to be had by adding star power to the defensive side of the ball at 17. I’m ok with RT but like you, think we can upgrade RT at less cost than #17. Defense, however, has mediocre players all over the place

Defense was #28 pts allowed, #23 total yards, and a BIG FAT #32 in 3rd down conversions allowed. Who do you need on 3rd down? Edge and CB. Hmmm, I thought i was a reborn trencher???

[Topcat]

Jermaine Johnson reminds me a little of Merriman. An all around good linebacker type. Great nose for the ball. Lives in backfields. Great run game defense. Its not really pretty at times...but dude is a cat in heat on the field. Takes a lot of angles on tackles. Shows he has some good habits and hes taking to coaching. Not a finished product but in the back 20 range? Hes a guy we need to all look at. He times well at the combine he will will really sore up boards. Its not the 12 sacks...is the work rate along with it i like. He produces. But does he translate?

Last year i was really interested in Greg Rousseau. He had a high ceiling i said. ts just one of those gut vibes i get on a player with a shit load of upside. Johnson could be this years Rousseau for me personally. Projecting his future season in college etc. lol

A poor man's Merriman sounds like an upgrade over K9...

[Steve]

Rouseau flashed ability his last year in college. He is an amazing athlete and has a HUGE upside. But he was somewhat productive in Buffalo this season, as he continues to develop his technique.

Johnson was a much more consistent and had much better technique. He just didn't do much until he transferred to FSU last year. Both have great physical tools, but I think Johnson is ready to take advantage of them out of the box because of the technique.

What I really like about Johnson is he is a smart disciplined guy. He keeps to his assignment and doesn't leave holes to go off and make plays by freelancing. Up to this year, it was a bit of a downer, because he didn't make many plays. This season, after spending most of last year developing technique and getting more playing time, he finally was able to step his game up and do it by being assignment sound. The other thing is that unlike a lot of guys who just flash production, he helped his teammates make a lot of plays. QB were often being forced to step up into the rush of other players.

I think Johnson is actually probably the best Edge guy for us. Hutchinson and Karlaftis are more leverage-type rushers in the same mold as Bosa. Thibodeaux and Ojabo are both pure speed guys off the edge. Johnson has almost as much speed as Thibodeaux and Ojabo, but more power and better hand use/leverage/technique. His technique isn't quite as good as Karlaftis and Hutchinson, but he has more speed and lateral agility. He is not quite as good as the other guys, but in the end he might be the best fit for us and the best pro, although I think the edge guys are all good prospects.

[TexanBeerlover]

I’m all about upgrading defense but doesn’t mean #17 is absolute.

[Topcat]

Rouseau flashed ability his last year in college. He is an amazing athlete and has a HUGE upside. But he was somewhat productive in Buffalo this season, as he continues to develop his technique.

Johnson was a much more consistent and had much better technique. He just didn't do much until he transferred to FSU last year. Both have great physical tools, but I think Johnson is ready to take advantage of them out of the box because of the technique.

What I really like about Johnson is he is a smart disciplined guy. He keeps to his assignment and doesn't leave holes to go off and make plays by freelancing. Up to this year, it was a bit of a downer, because he didn't make many plays. This season, after spending most of last year developing technique and getting more playing time, he finally was able to step his game up and do it by being assignment sound. The other thing is that unlike a lot of guys who just flash production, he helped his teammates make a lot of plays. QB were often being forced to step up into the rush of other players.

I think Johnson is actually probably the best Edge guy for us. Hutchinson and Karlaftis are more leverage-type rushers in the same mold as Bosa. Thibodeaux and Ojabo are both pure speed guys off the edge. Johnson has almost as much speed as Thibodeaux and Ojabo, but more power and better hand use/leverage/technique. His technique isn't quite as good as Karlaftis and Hutchinson, but he has more speed and lateral agility. He is not quite as good as the other guys, but in the end he might be the best fit for us and the best pro, although I think the edge guys are all good prospects.

Here's a glowing review of Johnson from TDN. Good to see he a solid RUN DEFENDER, something we sorely need:

johnson.JPG

A 4-star recruit from Minneapolis, Jermaine Johnson began his career in the JUCO ranks where he played from 2017-2018 before transferring to Georgia for 2019-2020 and finishing his career at Florida State in 2021. After flashing at Georgia in a rotational role, Johnson became one of the most impactful defensive playmakers in the nation with Florida State in 2021. Watching the Seminoles’ defense in 2021, it was abundantly clear that Johnson was the best player on the field and he made an impact every week and in the most critical points of the game. As a pass rusher, Johnson is quick off the ball, has terrific length, a variety of rush moves, takes good angles, and relentlessly pursues the quarterback.

As a run defender, Johnson is an exceptional processor that is stout at the point of attack, understands how to respond to blocking schemes, effectively stacks and sheds blocks, and is a consistent finisher. There are very few limitations with Johnson’s game and he’s a balanced defender against the run and pass with appeal in any scheme. The biggest question Johnson had to answer in 2021 was what type of impact he could make in a featured role and he absolutely aced the test. Overall, Johnson has good size, athleticism, technique, and functional strength while playing the game with tremendous urgency and features a high football IQ. Johnson has the makings of an impact starter at the next level.Â

Ideal Role: 4-3 defensive end, 3-4 outside linebackerÂ

Scheme Fit: Any

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Joe MarinoÂ

Games watched: Arkansas (2020), Kentucky (2020), South Carolina (2020), Notre Dame (2021), Miami (2021), Clemson (2021), North Carolina (2021)Â Â

Best Game Studied: Notre Dame (2021)

Worst Game Studied: North Carolina (2021)Â

First Step Explosiveness: Johnson is quick off the ball and he does well to marry his strides to his rush plan. He’s clean when releasing from a two or three-point stance and absent of false steps. While he isn’t a speed rusher, he has plenty of juice available to deploy his rush plan.Â

Flexibility: Johnson is fully capable of winning around the outside hip of offensive tackles because of his ability to soften rush angles, reduce the path to the quarterback, press through the angle, flatten, and finish. While he has modest overall bend, he has good ankle flexion that enables him to corner the arc.Â

Hand Counters: Johnson’s hands are busy and he does well to work combinations to get off blocks and control reps. He has good timing and placement with his hands. In a full-time role with Florida State in 2021, Johnson’s rush variety was on full display and he has plenty of different tools in his bag to affect the quarterback when it comes to hand usage.Â

Length: Johnson has excellent length and he knows how to use it. He effectively uses his length to maintain separation from blocks and execute his rush plan. His length shows up as he closes on the quarterback, often tackling the quarterback outside of his frame because of how he can extend. It’s also a major asset against the run where he’s able to stack, shed, and tackle with consistency.Â

Hand Power: Johnson has firm hands that are not easily displaced. He maximizes the pop in his punch with good timing and placement with his strikes. His hands are weapons for him when working to soften angles and work around the edges of blockers.Â

Run Defending: Johnson demonstrates good power to exchange at the point of attack, set a firm edge, and squeeze gaps as a run defender. He appears comfortable in space and can work laterally to the sideline. Overall, he has good range as a run defender with a large tackle radius. Johnson understands the nuances of defending the run in terms of taking on pullers, feeling reach blocks, and competing for his gap.

Effort (Motor): Johnson is a relentless football player that is urgent in everything he does. Johnson is a smart defender that is never passive. He keeps working hand counters throughout every snap and is never content being blocked. His motor constantly runs hot. His workload increased dramatically in 2021 at Florida State compared to what it was at Georgia and he embraced the opportunity. Even with playing a large percentage of the snaps for the Seminoles, I love how he consistently made an impact late in games when his team needed it most.Â

Football IQ: Johnson is an extremely smart processor with a natural feel for diagnosing blocks, responding, and filling his role. He takes good angles to the ball and is committed to playing with sound technique and low pads. Even in limited snaps at Georgia, it was obvious that Johnson is a smart football player that executes what he is coached to do.Â

Lateral Mobility: Johnson has good lateral movement skills and is fully capable of pursuing toward the sideline or crashing down as a backside defender. His lateral mobility is maximized by taking precisely calculated angles with terrific vision and the ability to play off contact. He changes directions well and shows some comfort in space.Â

Versatility: Johnson has appeal as a hand-in-the-dirt 4-3 defensive end and as a 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s a balanced defender that makes an impact as a pass rusher and run defender. Overall, he doesn’t offer much in the way of limitations.Â

Prospect Comparison: Preston Smith (2015 NFL Draft, Washington Football Team)

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/jermaine-johnson