Jamar Johnson

Pos: S

School: Indiana

Ht: 6’2″

Wt: 205 lbs

Strengths:

  • Good size for a safety; looks the part
  • Does an outstanding job of reading the QB’s eyes
  • Maintains constant eye contact with the QB, tracks his motions and eyes very well
  • Explosive player who has great burst and quickness to bring down the ballcarrier
  • Decent athlete; with solid frame.
  • Very rangy safety; has great lateral quickness and can go sideline to sideline in the blink of an eye
  • Overall, makes decent reads and is a high IQ safety
  • Positional versatility, played corner and safety at Indiana
  • Can be a nickel corner or safety at the next level.

Weaknesses:

  • Jamar Johnson isn’t the best athlete when it comes to defensive backs. While he is built like a capable safety, he has very average speed and it has hindered his play before
  • Johnson should look to become a better wrap up tackler, and not an arm tackler
  • At times, Johnson is a slow processor who takes a little bit too much time to make his move on a play. He tends to make good reads and has solid instincts, however he needs to process these plays into action much quicker.

Overall Assessment:

Jamar Johnson makes a strong case for being the top safety in this class along with Trevon Moehrig. Johnson is among the most complete defensive back prospects in the entire class. Overall, he has good size and has a good frame. He is a well built safety who does have the tools and technicalities to thrive at the next level. He is disciplined safety who maintains constant eye contact with the QB, and can read his eyes with outstanding consistency. He is an explosive reactor, as he has great burst to get towards the ball carrier and bring the player down. He is a rangy safety who can go sideline to sideline at a quick rate. Johnson displays positional versatility, as he can play nickel corner, single high safety, and strong safety in the box. A lot of teams value this very highly. While Johnson is a well balanced prospect, he isn’t the best athlete. His speed is average at best, and it has held him back at times. Johnson could look to become a better wrap up tackler at the next level, as he is inconsistent, sometimes aiming for arm tackles which results in him missing the easy tackle. He could also take time to react to reads. While he is explosive, the time in between making the reads and jumping to the football is slightly too long, and I would hope to see him develop in this aspect. Johnson is shooting up draft boards as the draft rolls around, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him selected in the early 2nd round and making his way into the 1st round.

Pro Comp:

John Johnson III

Scheme Fit: Projects best as a strong safety in zone coverage. He can play in the box, slot or as a high safety as well due to his range. However, a zone coverage team would be ideal for him.

Pick Projection: Late 1st – Late 2nd

Team Fits: LAC, PHI, BAL

Draft Grade: 8.6/10

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas/ USA Today Sports