The Houston Texans selected Lonnie Johnson in Round 2 with the 54th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft.
At 6-2, 213 pounds, Johnson was a big cornerback, and he had a decent rookie campaign with 41 combined tackles and seven pass breakups in 14 games, seven of which he started.
For 2020, under defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who was in his first season as a defensive play-caller, Johnson converted to safety. It was the shift to the back end that allowed the former Kentucky product’s confidence to grow, according to teammate Justin Reid.
“I saw his confidence grow a lot,” Reid told reporters on a Zoom call on April 23. “I felt like he was more comfortable in that role. He’s a physical guy. Throughout the year he got more confident and his understanding of defense got better.”
Reid, who was once the Texans’ standout rookie safety in 2018 after the club selected him in Round 3 with the 68th overall pick, explained that playing safety forces a defensive back to process the game more from a mental standpoint.
“In the safety position, you’re like a captain on the backside of the defense,” said Reid. “You’re forced to make a lot of calls. Putting him in that situation to where he had to make the calls, it made him learn the defense much better. Because of that, he was able to play more quickly, he was able to play more aggressively, and I think it just helped him overall.”
The Texans are transitioning from a 3-4 defense to a Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front. However, Reid believes that Johnson will still find a way to capitalize on the personal growth despite the change in scheme for Houston.
“That’s why I’m excited for him going into year two because he gets to just build on all the progress that he made last year and build on that confidence and come in with wheels turning,” Reid said.