The Chicago Bears got a steal in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who many had pegged as a first-round talent.
But concerns with his injury history scared teams in the first round, which allowed him to fall to the second round and right to the Bears at pick No. 50. There were six cornerbacks taken ahead of Johnson, and he’s determined to prove those teams that passed over him wrong.
“The way I took it is [other teams] feel like there were so many other corners better than me that I couldn’t add value to that organization,” Johnson said, via ChicagoBears.com. “So for me, at the end of the day, I’m going to go out every week and show who I am, what I could’ve been for any team that would have selected me and really just give back to the team that did pick me and show love to them.”
Johnson isn’t shying away from lofty goals for his rookie season. One of those goals is to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, and there are some that believe he has a good chance to do just that.
Touchdown Wire‘s Doug Farrar believes Johnson is among the best bets to win the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
It’s a mystery why Johnson lasted until the 50th overall pick in the second round — the Utah cornerback never allowed an opponent passer rating higher than 57.6 in three high-target seasons. Whether in zone or man, press or off-coverage, Johnson has the athleticism and diagnostic abilities to be one of the best NFL defenders in this draft class.
Considering Johnson is expected to be the favorite to land the starting right cornerback job opposite Kyle Fuller, this is an easy bet to make. But Johnson will have to win the starting job over Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson and Artie Burns.
Although given Johnson’s talent and determination to make waves in his rookie season, it’s expected that he’ll win the starting job and get an opportunity to compete for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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