Antonio Johnson Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Jamie Maury/TexAgs)

School: Texas A&M (Junior)

Position: SAF

HT: 6’3

WT: 195 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #48

A former top-100 high school recruit in the country, Antonio Johnson was a 4-star recruit from East St Louis, Illinois. Johnson played both safety and wide receiver in high school, eventually being named an Army All-American.

Antonio Johnson is a hard hitting safety that has great instincts and brings a high level of physicality on each and every snap. Johnson doesn’t play like a guy who weighs in at sub 200, he is able to really lay a guy out. As Gus Johnson would say, he makes the ball carrier smell his cologne. Johnson does a good job to read and diagnose routes at all levels of the field and take good angles to the ball carrier. The safety can also play everywhere on the field; on the edge, as a linebacker, a slot corner, or at his traditional one high safety position. As a sort of Swiss Army knife for a defense, he needs to be able to do it all. For the most part, Johnson can do it all. When playing in the box, Johnson is light enough on his feet and quick enough to follow the ball on play action or handoffs. Johnson is an undeniable presence on the football field who has big play potential on every snap.

Unfortunately, he fell victim to an absolutely horrible situation at College Station with bad coaching and a bad team that never lived up to their preseason potential. The A&M offense struggled to keep up with other SEC teams while the defense around Johnson was middling. The team’s performance since Johnson got there is by no means a reflection of his play. Johnson’s biggest flaws come in terms of his natural ability to play the ball. He just can’t play the ball as well as you’d like a safety drafted in the top 50 to be able to. He typically shies away from making that play on the ball or simply arrives a tad late. While I believe he does a good job at route recognition, he becomes hesitant at times in the box, which can result in his late arrival to the ball.

While his ball skills and playmaking ability need work, I believe they are coachable at the next level. Johnson is a quality prospect with above average athleticism and versatility.

Scheme Fit: Zone with Blitzing Tendencies

Ideal Role: Strong Safety

Best Team Fits: IND, ARI, PHI

Player Comparison: Jamal Adams

Player Grade: 79.5