The New York Giants are looking for solutions at cornerback this offseason.
They will likely address the position in the upcoming NFL draft but in the interim, they’ve been adding some low-key options such as former Detroit Lion Amani Oruwariye and Leonard Johnson, a player who slipped through the cracks after injuring his knee last year before the draft.
Johnson was a standout at Duke, playing in 47 games with 39 starts, logging in 165 total tackles (10 for a loss), with two sacks, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries along with 17 passes defensed and two quarterback hurries.
Johnson was pegged to be a Day 3 section in last year’s draft, running a 4.54 40-yard dash at Duke’s pro day with a vertical jump of 33.0 and a broad jump of 10.5.
Johnson tore his ACL and meniscus two weeks before the draft and was scratched from everyone’s draft board. He wasn’t signed after the draft as an undrafted free agent, either.
He remained unsigned until this year when the Giants’ decided to take a flyer on the 6-foot, 194-pounder.
“I was getting all these pre-draft calls, and it’s crazy that the first thing they ask is, ‘Are you healthy?'” Johnson told the New York Post. “I had to tell them the truth. I think 13 teams told me, ‘When you are 100 percent, let us know. We’ll bring you up for a workout.’ I didn’t hear from any of those teams after I got cleared.”
They all forgot about him. The Giants didn’t. Johnson was actually working as a plumber in his home state of Alabama when the Giants called him.
Johnson’s pro football career is back on track. In fact, he is receiving basically the same contract (three years, $2.69 million) he would have been offered had he been drafted last year because of his eligibility status.
Johnson is healthy and ready to follow up on the strong workout he put in for the Giants earlier this year. Could he be the ‘find’ the Giants are looking for? He certainly hopes so.
“I feel like I have so much more to prove because I haven’t played football in a year,” Johnson said. “I’m just so anxious to rehab with some NFL trainers knowing everything is going to be the right way. After getting hurt, all I could ask for was one opportunity. I was so close, why would I just give up now, honestly? I just want to get to New York and showcase what I can do, especially off of a leg injury this serious.”
Johnson can make this roster since will be up against a group of players who are largely unproven as Adoree’ Jackson is the only player who is certain to enter camp as a starter.
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