Bears training camp: 3 Players who will turn heads in Chicago
3. Jaylon Johnson, Cornerback
It’s hard to say that someone picked in the second round could be a steal but Jaylon Johnson will make every team that passed on him look silly. He has first-round talent but, similar to safety Eddie Jackson, injuries scared scouts away.
The prevailing thought is that Johnson eventually becomes the starting outside cornerback opposite of Kyle Fuller but that he’ll have to wait. That idea is supported even more without preseason games. Some feel that Artie Burns comes out of camp as the starter and that the Bears will ease in Johnson by having Kevin Toliver back him up. Johnson needs to have a superb training camp in order to have a chance to come out of camp as the starter.
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Well, he just might do that. Johnson felt like he was the best cornerback in this year’s draft. He is motivated to show teams around the league what they missed out.
The Athletic’s Adam Jahn and Kevin Fishbain say, however, that the Bears could throw Johnson in at the No. 2 right away.
Johnson will be a star in the NFL. He has great athleticism and speed to keep up with any receiver. He has elite footwork and possesses a playmaker’s mentality. He has no trouble tracking the ball even with his back to the quarterback. Additionally, he is a physical corner who can force opposing wide receivers off their route.
Cornerbacks coach DeShea Townsend wants to keep expectations from getting too high, per NBC Sports Chicago:
"You never want to give somebody their job, and I don’t want Jaylon to think it’s his job because we drafted him."
The team might want to ease Johnson in but he’s going to make that decision tougher to make.