4/23/05

What They're Saying: Derrick Johnson

Chris Mortensen, ESPN
What's interesting about this pick ­ the Chiefs taking Derrick Johnson ­ their former defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson, who's now the head coach at Syracuse, spent a year last year as defensive coordinator for The University of Texas. Greg Robinson told me that he's had Marvin Jones with the Jets, John Mobley and Al Wilson with the Broncos, and he named a couple of other linebackers. He said, to him, it's not even close, Derrick Johnson is the best of that bunch and he would love the pick if he were still the defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gil Brandt, NFL.com
I think one of the reasons Johnson was the 15th player picked is because teams don't put the same priority at linebacker as they do other positions. If he were a cornerback, he would have been picked a lot higher. He's got a lot of talent and is a big playmaker. But the negative was that he wasn't real good at taking on the blocker. The good news is that it can be corrected. He's also a quality person in the mold of Dick Vermeil.

Vic Carucci, NFL.com
I'm a little surprised that Derrick Johnson fell this far, but his stock definitely was falling from the early projections that had him going to the Browns with the third pick. Several teams began to have doubts about whether he was physical enough to take on blockers and wondered if he would be manhandled by the many larger and stronger offensive linemen he would face in the NFL. However, his speed and pursuit make him a nice addition to Gunther Cunningham's attack-oriented scheme.

Pat Kirwan, NFL.com
Johnson, who has 255 tackles in the last two years, was coached last year by former Chiefs defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, and is ready to come in and play right away. He is a high-character guy who should be expected to post 100 tackles as a rookie. When you combine this selection with the trade for Patrick Surtain, the Chiefs defense may be good enough for Vermeil to make a push in his last season. Yesterday, KC started to suspect Johnson might fall to them, and now they have their future team captain.