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Kevin Johnson visiting (visiting Browns next)


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Kevin Johnson 6'0", 185 lbs, 31" arms

STRENGTHS

 Smooth hips with excellent balance. Very natural in man coverage. Has feet and discipline to play square and mirror against complex routes. Has low, controlled backpedal. Disruptive in press coverage -- alters routes and slows receivers. Can easily transition laterally and has quick-twitch to break on throws in front of him. Flips hips and accelerates against vertical routes. Crowds wideouts on perimeter and constricts target area for deep boundary throws. Plays stronger than his listed weight. Has athleticism and enough speed to recover when beaten. Decisive player. Fights to disengage and support against the run. Willing to drop shoulder and lay lumber as zone defender. Usually followed opponent's best receiver around the field.

WEAKNESSES

 Has a lanky frame with a very thin lower body. Gets fooled by head fakes downfield and turned around too often. Late to turn and find ball at times. Missed too many tackles as senior. Thin frame a concern as NFL run supporter. Will show too much respect to deep speed and allow separation by receivers who slam on brakes and catch passes in front of him. Ejected from Louisville game for targeting. Flagged nine times for 132 yards over the last two seasons.

DRAFT PROJECTION

 Round 1 or 2

NFL COMPARISON

 Sam Shields

BOTTOM LINE

 Johnson is a three-year starting cornerback who showed great improvement in man coverage from 2013 to 2014. While he lacks desired weight at the position, his cover skills, athleticism and competitiveness give him a shot to come in and start right away. Johnson can play gunner on special teams.
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8 minutes ago, billspro said:

Beane is the man. 

I remember when we got Mario Williams.  That was exciting.  

7 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

I’m not understanding why he was a first rd pick

He’s definitely been a disappointment there.  That said, solid depth. 

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12 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I mentioned in the other thread - Kevin Johnson’s old DB Coach from the Texans is the Bills DB coach (John Butler). So there is some intel there and he must like him to bring him in so quickly.

 

Great point. Also the Panthers loved him pre-draft. There was a lot of talk that they were going to take him at the end of the first round that year, but the Texans beat them to it. 

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At the right cost this could be an excellent buy low pickup. He was pretty good his rookie season and he's been hurt since then. If you can bring him in and get most of the games out of him, the ability is definitely there

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4 minutes ago, freddyjj said:

very EJ Gaines-ish scouting report.  And a complicated injury history to match.  

 

1 year low $ signing makes sense to me.

That is the first thing I thought was Gaines type player

 

I am hoping Levi Wallace continues to impress and develop.....he needs to get stronger in the offseason....then you would have Johnson as your solid vet backup guy.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, JM57 said:

At the right cost this could be an excellent buy low pickup. He was pretty good his rookie season and he's been hurt since then. If you can bring him in and get most of the games out of him, the ability is definitely there

That's what people said last year when we bought the services of a banged up Vontae Davis.

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3 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

Undersized, not fast, Wake Forest, no eye popping stats in a mediocre conference, a year of academic ineligibility.

 

other than a standout vertical leap at the combine this guy looks like a 3-5 rounder to me. 

 

He was ranked top ten by PFF early in his career, and then got hit by the injury bug.  After that, when he was on the field, he was never very good.  He was worth the First Round pick, but you never know when injuries are going to start piling up for a guy. 

3 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

That's what people said last year when we bought the services of a banged up Vontae Davis.

 

Yeah but Davis was old and on the tail end of his career regardless of injury.  I was never excited about Davis. 

 

Kevin Johnson is a young guy who, if healthy can be a really good player.  Johnson has a shot at making some noise.  Davis never did. 

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10 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

That's what people said last year when we bought the services of a banged up Vontae Davis.

Vontae Davis was 30. Kevin Johnson wasn't even off his rookie deal yet. Not sure of his age but I'd guess 25. I'm also not pencilling him into a starting spot if he does start here, but he does have the ability

Edited by JM57
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4 minutes ago, Billy Zabka said:

He totally stunk in 2017 and barely played with concussion issues last year. I don't mind taking a flyer on him for a cheap price, but I hope Beane doesn't offer him good money.

Agree 100%. Also, great name.  I’m Team Johnny all day over Daniel. 

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2 minutes ago, JM57 said:

Vontae Davis was 30. Kevin Johnson wasn't even off his rookie deal yet. Not sure of his age but I'd guess 25. I'm also not pencilling him into a starting spot if he does start here, but he does have the ability

Exactly we likely have a starter. He is depth with upside. As long as its cap friendly why not. One less hole, depth at CB

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34 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I remember when we got Mario Williams.  That was exciting.  

He’s definitely been a disappointment there.  That said, solid depth. 

 

That was, but overspending in free agency never works out. That contract and Dareus’ contract are the reason our cap issues started. 

 

This is a low risk high reward move. Those are the signing I like to see in free agency.

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CB is a position where you need like 5 capable guys because of injuries. I'm pretty sure Taron Johnson got injured in every game last year. Kevin Johnson's been a bust thus far in his career but Butler here and Beane being a DB wizard it's worth a shot. I'd still look to add one more guy in the 2nd-4th range this year.

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Just now, FeelingOnYouboty said:

CB is a position where you need like 5 capable guys because of injuries. I'm pretty sure Taron Johnson got injured in every game last year. Kevin Johnson's been a bust thus far in his career but Butler here and Beane being a DB wizard it's worth a shot. I'd still look to add one more guy in the 2nd-4th range this year.

 

He hasn't exactly been a bust - his talent has flashed, he's been hurt a lot.  The concussions scare me, and the Bills don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to medical evaluations.  But the talent is definitely there and at the right price, it's definitely a risk worth taking.  The problem for Beane historically has been his tendency to poorly evaluate the medicals and then fail to have a Plan B.  

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25 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Yeah but Vonte was brought in as the no questions asked starter

 

This doesnt have that feel to it....I feel that Wallace is the incumbant starter.......

McBeane are filling out our depth before FA and the draft even begin.  I think this gives them the ability to swing for the fences for who they want and BPA.

Edited by formerlyofCtown
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3 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

He hasn't exactly been a bust - his talent has flashed, he's been hurt a lot.  The concussions scare me, and the Bills don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to medical evaluations.  But the talent is definitely there and at the right price, it's definitely a risk worth taking.  The problem for Beane historically has been his tendency to poorly evaluate the medicals and then fail to have a Plan B.  

Can you fill me in on Bean’s history that you are referring to?  Is it just Murphy and Benjamin, or am I missing someone?

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19 minutes ago, JM57 said:

Vontae Davis was 30. Kevin Johnson wasn't even off his rookie deal yet. Not sure of his age but I'd guess 25. I'm also not pencilling him into a starting spot if he does start here, but he does have the ability

 

I don’t think he would beat out Levi Wallace but it would be nice to have the depth. We can also trust this staff developing the secondary position.

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1 hour ago, Logic said:

BOTTOM LINE

 Johnson is a three-year starting cornerback who showed great improvement in man coverage from 2013 to 2014. While he lacks desired weight at the position, his cover skills, athleticism and competitiveness give him a shot to come in and start right away. Johnson can play gunner on special teams.

In a year where we're constantly worried about upgrading the offense, and reasonably so, I'm glad to see we're attempting to address our ST woes as well - at least, to an indirect extent. I get that threads are never started or posts rarely made that discuss ST, since it's the step child of football that never gets talked about or is desired - but it's still vital to getting W's and a severe issue that we need to address with more than a new coordinator hire.

 

I liked Neal, Lacey, and a few others who showed up on ST last year, but if we can add to gunner and get those early contact hits on returns with containment, I'm all for that added utility beyond what he can push for on Defense.

 

 

Edited by ctk232
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47 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

Undersized, not fast, Wake Forest, no eye popping stats in a mediocre conference, a year of academic ineligibility.

 

other than a standout vertical leap at the combine this guy looks like a 3-5 rounder to me. 

Did you just call the ACC a mediocre conference?  Its not the SEC but they are likely the second best conference in football.  Also college can be weird.  You might not have stats because no one targeted your match up (cause you had them covered).

Edited by YattaOkasan
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