Tag: southeast missouri

Countdown to Kickoff: Lawrence Johnson is the Saints Player of Day 37

Countdown to Kickoff: Lawrence Johnson is the Saints Player of Day 37. He’s making plays at training camp to try and win a roster spot

Only 37 days stand between us and the New Orleans Saints’ season opener. That makes the current owner of the No. 37 jersey our  Saints Player of the Day: Lawrence Johnson. The rookie safety has made some plays at training camp, so let’s dig into his story and how he can make the team.

  • Name (Age): Lawrence Johnson (24)
  • Position: Safety
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-0, 205 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 5.28
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $796,666
  • College: Southeast Missouri State
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Johnson gained a ton of experience in college, appearing in 55 games (most of them starts) at both free safety and strong safety while also spending a lot of time in the slot. He had a nice forced fumble in team drills recently, punching the ball out of Mason Tipton’s hands at the end of a long reception. He reminds you of former Saints defensive back P.J. Williams, who played with a similar physical edge while lining up all over Dennis Allen’s secondary.

And Johnson could be someone who shines best when playing at full speed in the preseason games. He’s competing with other safeties like Millard Bradford, another undrafted rookie, as well as veterans Will Harris and Roderic Teamer. The Saints typically roster six safeties so with Tyrann Mathieu, J.T. Gray, Johnathan Abram and Jordan safe that’s two spots up for grabs between these four players. We’ll see if Johnson can continue strengthening his case.

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Why Southeast Missouri’s Josh Avery could make Seahawks roster

Josh Avery has the size and maturity to make an impact for the Seattle Seahawks as a run-stuffing defensive tackle right away in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

In fact, the Seahawks had an interior defensive tackle make the roster as an undrafted free agent two years in a row, as Ford was followed by Michigan’s Bryan Mone in 2019, who appeared in four games for the Seahawks.

If they are going to keep the streak of undrafted defensive tackles alive, hope will rest with either Cedrick Lattimore out of Iowa or Josh Avery out of Southeast Missouri.

While Lattimore went to a more notable school and posted good numbers, his size (six-foot-three, 295 pounds) is more suited to a five-tech in Pete Carroll’s defense, rather than a big run-stuffer in the middle, which is what the Seahawks need.

Avery is listed at six-foot-three and 322 pounds, plenty big enough to plug holes up the middle in a reserve role. Plus, Avery is already 24 years old, and the Seahawks made it clear they are looking for more mature rookies this season, in light of the pandemic that limits their opportunities to see players on the field before the season begins.

With Ford and Jarran Reed expected to start on the interior defensive line, Avery will compete with Lattimore, Mone, and Demarcus Christmas for the backup DT role, assuming the team doesn’t sign a veteran – something they have done in each of the past few seasons.

While it won’t be an easy path, it never is for undrafted free agents, Avery has the size and maturity to make an impact for the Seahawks in year one, and if he does well in training camp he could be a surprise addition to the roster, or at least the practice squad, in 2020.

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