Feb 23, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive back Kevin Johnson catches a pass in a work out drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
With the draft just roughly a month away Bear Goggles On will be breaking down a wide range of options for the Chicago Bears 2015 draft. We’ll profile different positions and different rounds where players who might fit with the Bears new management regime.
Kevin Johnson, CB – Wake Forest
Measurables – 6’0″ | 188
Attributes (40 / vertical / broad jump /3-cone) – 4.52 | 41.5″ | 130″ | 6.79
College: Johnson did not miss a game in his college career at Wake Forest. As a freshman, he played in 11 games with 5 starts. In 2012, he became a full-time starter for the Demon Deacons finishing with 189 tackles and 7 interceptions in his 4-year career.
Strengths: Johnson is a very gifted athlete with NFL ready athletic ability. He has a natural ability to cover, run with receivers and break on the ball to create turnovers. He has shown to be a very good open field tackler and has proven to be very durable as he did not miss a game in his college career, as previously mentioned.
Weaknesses: His size becomes exposed in run support where has struggled to get off blocks and fight through blockers, at times. Even though he has shown that he can open field tackle, he lacks that “hard -hitting ability.” He is aggressive in coverage which can lead to him biting on a short route, while getting burned deep.
Bears Fit: Even with the 1st-round drafting of Kyle Fuller last year, the secondary needs some long-term upgrading, particularly at cornerback. Even with the signing of free agent Allen Ball from Jacksonville and Antrell Rolle from the Giants, depth in the secondary needs to be improved – Especially seeing that Fuller had issues staying healthy and Tim Jennings is on the wrong side of 30. With the athletic ability and cover skills of Johnson, he can fit nicely into a nickel role for the Bears right away – a position that he played at times in college. The Bears were 20th in the league last year in takeaways, so playmakers on defense are needed and Johnson fits that mold. In my opinion, he may struggle on special teams coverage units as pass coverage is more of his specialty.
Draft Protection: 2nd Round
Highlights: