The Aggies are going into the 2022 football season with one of the most talented rosters in the country, with no one being more notable (in my opinion at least) than starting slot cornerback/safety, Antonio Johnson. Johnson is going into his Junior season with high expectations for himself while working off of his extremely productive 2021 sophomore season, accumulating 79 total tackles, 1 sack, and 5 pass deflections on the year.
Recently, Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus ranked the top safety prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft, with the top 5 players listed as the following: 1. Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M), 2. Brian Branch (Alabama), 3. Brandon Joseph (Notre Dame), 4. Jordan Battle (Alabama), 5. Jalen Catalon (Arkansas). With his size and speed, as well as his experience playing inside as a slot corner, Johnson projects as a full-time strong or free safety in the NFL
Renner describes Antonio Johnson’s ability and reasoning for his top ranking:
Johnson is just your run-of-the-mill 6-foot-3, 200-pound slot cornerback in Texas A&M’s defense. His massive wingspan shows up in his ability to take on blocks and bring down ball carriers. Combine that with some serious ability to close at that size, and you see why he earned an 87.4 overall grade last year. He limited his 62 targets last season to a grand total of 228 yards. That comes out to only 3.7 yards per target.
In order for the Aggies to flourish defensively again in 2022, Antonio Johnson will have to continue to be a centerpiece for the Wrecking Crew.
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