Cleveland Browns: 2019 7-Round mock draft, Vol. 1
By Peter Smith
Round 5 (Via NE): Isaiah Johnson, CB, Houston – 6-4, 203 lbs. (Listed)
- 34 solo tackles (6 percent), 7 pass deflections (15.9 percent) and 2 interceptions (13.3 percent) in 2017.
Isaiah Johnson played his first three seasons as a wide receiver before making the conversion to corner and it’s been a good move for him. His remarkable combination of length and speed make him an intriguing prospect. How good his hips and ankles are will be important when it comes to athletic testing.
Johnson is still pretty raw as a corner. The Cougars defensive scheme caters to that, allowing him to open up his hips immediately and drop back at the snap, trying to prevent getting beat over top. When he reaches his drop, he can stick his foot in the ground and play forward and attack the ball with his length, making him a dangerous threat to cause turnovers.
Johnson likes to get hands on, but can end up overextending and ending up off balance. He’s shown a decent back pedal, but he’s not always clean in releasing back. His speed and length allows him some room for error in coverage, which is helpful, but still shows how much work there is to do. He’s not terribly difficult to beat underneath currently, but when he’s right, he’s a blanket in coverage and there’s virtually no room to fit the ball.
Johnson is not afraid to come downhill, taking advantage of his size to play the run and make tackles. He does have some trouble getting off of blocks. As he’s able to add strength in his upper body, the hope is this will get easier.
The NFL tends to fall in love with players like Johnson, so if he tests well and he should, he may well skyrocket up boards much like Stanley Jean-Baptiste did coming out of Nebraska. Baptiste’s career hasn’t worked but teams will take chances on guys like Johnson, who is even taller than Baptiste was.
Johnson is a boundary corner only, so failing that, he might have to try his luck at safety. More than likely, it’s corner or bust. For the Browns, eventually they’ll have to take another big swing at corner across from Denzel Ward. In the mean time, they can take a swing on a guy like Johnson and see if he can be someone worth the time and energy.