Zion Johnson NFL Draft Scouting Report

Zion Johnson should hear his named called quite early in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Background

Zion Johnson is an offensive guard for the Boston College Eagles and is a prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. Johnson started two and a half seasons at BC, earning All-ACC honors every year (2019: 2nd-team, 2020: 3rd-team, 2021: 1st-team). He came late to football, picking it up in high school. He was a 0-star recruit and failed to earn any FBS offers. He elected to attend Davidson University, playing both guard and tackle in their triple-option offense. Johnson played in 22 games with 19 starts while at Davidson, earning Pioneer League All-Conference 1st-team honors.

After two seasons, Johnson elected to transfer to Boston College, seeking somewhere he could earn a scholarship. When he left Davidson, he was only 265 pounds but quickly got up to nearly 300 pounds. In 2019, his first season in Chestnut Hill, he did not earn one of the starting guard jobs but played significant snaps during the first half of the season. When he broke into the starting lineup, he helped jumpstart the Eagles' running game, which lifted them to bowl eligibility.

The following season, under a new coaching staff, Johnson moved to left tackle. He struggled in the first few games but eventually settled in; he started every game there and earned All-ACC 3rd-Team. In 2021, Johnson returned to his natural position at left guard and dominated. He even started one game at left tackle due to other injuries. Johnson finished his career by earning All-ACC 1st-Team and 1st-Team AP All-American.

Statistics

Career (at BC): 36 GP, 30 GS, 36 pressures (24 hurries, 9 QB hits, 3 sacks allowed), 4 penalties. 

2021: 12 GP/GS, 6 pressures (3 hurries, 2 QB hits, 1 sack allowed), 1 penalty. 

2021 PFF Grades (20% snap minimum; rankings out of 348 eligible OGs): 84.4 Offense (13th), 84.4 Run Blocking (t-16th), 81.6 Pass Blocking (28th).

Measurements

At the Senior Bowl, Zion Johnson measured in at 6 feet and 2 ¾ inches and 314 pounds. His hands were 10 ⅞", his arms were 33 ⅞", and his wingspan was 82 ⅞".

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson measured in at 6 feet and 2 ¾ inches and 312 pounds. His hands were 10 ⅝", his arms were 34", and his wingspan was 82 ⅜".

At Boston College's Pro Day, he measured in at 6 feet and 2 ⅞ inches and 312 pounds. His hands were 10 ⅝", his arms were 34", and his wingspan was 84". 

Drills

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Zion Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 5.18 seconds with a 1.80 10-yard split. He put up 32 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, which led all offensive linemen. Johnson ran the short shuttle in 4.46 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.38 seconds. He lept 32" in the vertical jump and 9'4" (112 inches) in the broad jump. This earned Johnson a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.74, ranking 33rd out of 1219 OGs from 1987 to 2022.

Zion Johnson did not compete in the athletic drills at Boston College's pro day, electing to stand on his numbers from the Combine. 

RAS Score

Areas of Strength

• Very explosive out of his stance and into his block/stance; very fluid without any hitches and able to translate motion from energy into the block
• Excellent in pass protection: footwork is incredibly quick and efficient, consistently keeping his feet moving to mirror pass rushers. His feet move independently of his hands, and he consistently maintains a very good stance to win battles of leverage. Looks for work and moves well to take away late rushers.
• Johnson has good hand usage, displaying great timing, placement, and power with his strikes. He has a variety of preemptive and reactive strikes to deal with different types of opponents, with elite power and pop in his hands to initially shock opponents.
• Elite anchor in pass protection: may give up a few steps initially to very good power rushers but can shut it down very quickly by reestablishing base. Prefers this approach to a shuffling retreat but can angle opponents and push them past the QB. 
• Outstanding run blocker in Man-Gap schemes: very good play strength allows him to latch on and control opponents; maintains consistent leg drive to move defenders off their spots. Has not pulled as much in recent years but was an elite puller in 2019 in Power-Counter schemes, displaying great movement skills and excellent power to clear defenders at the point of attack.
• Very good in Zone schemes: executes Reach and Scoop blocks with ease, sliding over gaps and angling well to neutralize his opponent. Climbs to the second level of Combo blocks very well, identifying and eliminating the target from the play.
• Excellent overall play strength, displaying the ability to move almost any opponent against their will and prevent himself from being moved. He builds up his power from the ground, engaging all parts of his body to maximize strength.
• Very good mental processing: able to take out multiple defenders by timely coming off blocks. Excellent awareness in pass protection to identify and pick up stunts and late rushers.
• Can play any position; started one season at left tackle, 1.5 seasons at left guard, worked as a backup center, and took reps there at Senior Bowl. Very few career penalties (7 in nearly 2300 snaps).
• Exceptionally smart player, attending Davidson and BC; majored in Computer Science and taking graduate classes in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance; 3-time All-ACC Academic Team.

Areas to Improve

• Generally, Zion Johnson needs to continue improving the consistency of his hand usage. Sometimes, he winds up his strikes in pass protection, bringing elbows behind him before shooting them forward; he needs to shoot his strikes into defenders without a wind-up.
• Johnson lacks the size/strength of elite NFL guards that allow him to blow larger DTs off the ball easily.
• His body is most likely maxed out; he put only nearly 50 pounds since transferring from Davidson. He is very well built, but there is little room for physical growth or change.

Summary

In the NFL, Johnson projects as an immediate starter at guard in nearly any offense. He has the movement skills to execute Reach and Scoop blocks and climb to the second level in a Zone offense. But he also has the raw strength and power to excel in a Man-Gap scheme, along with the ability to pull. Johnson is excellent technically as a pass blocker and possesses a very strong anchor, rarely giving up pressure against power. He is very smart and can play every position on the offensive line at least competently.

At this point in his career, Johnson's "flaws" are minor, but they separate him from the elite guard prospects of years past (i.e., Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson). Unlike those players, Johnson's physical profile fits perfectly that of a guard, whereas they could realistically start at tackle. The size of those players also helps give them greater strength, allowing them to dominate and overwhelm opponents physically. Johnson could also stand to continue improving the consistency of the technical aspects of his game, specifically his hand usage. 

Regardless, these flaws are trivial in the grander scale of Johnson's skill set. He is still quite physically gifted and has significantly developed his technique during his time at BC. He can play almost every position in nearly every scheme. Barring injury, Johnson should be a good to great starter in the league for at least the next decade.

Grade: 8.0 / 10 (immediate, solid starter at his position)

#15 Overall Prospect (#1 OG, #2 IOL, #5 OL), Round 1

NFL Comparison: Chris Snee, 2004 R2 #34, New York Giants (2004-2013)