Scouting Report: Gators CB Commit Dijon Johnson

Breaking down the tape of Florida Gators cornerback commit Dijon Johnson.

Photo: Dijon Johnson; Credit: Conner Clarke

The Florida Gators put the recruiting landscape on notice by securing the commitment of cornerback Dijon Johnson on Thursday, a long-awaited flip from Ohio State, and for good reason. 

Not only did head coach Billy Napier make his mark by plucking a prospect away from the Buckeyes, a consistent threat for a College Football Playoff spot, but more importantly, Napier and his staff were also able to change the mind of a recruit who was planning to leave the state of Florida and had ample opportunities to do so.

Those are the types of wins on the trail that UF has oh-so badly needed for some time in order to potentially return to glory. Not to mention, Johnson is a standout recruit who intended to play for a program that has sent nine defensive backs to the pros in the last six drafts, a testament to his belief that Florida can do the same for him. 

But what makes Johnson such a quality get for cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, safeties coach Patrick Toney and Florida's defense as a whole? 

Find out in his All Gators scouting report below. Our extended staff saw Johnson in three camp settings this past offseason, most recently at Under Armour's Future 50 camp in July, as well as reviewed his junior season film for this report.

Dijon Johnson scouting report

High school: Tampa (Fla.) Wharton

Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 187 pounds

On3 Sports consensus ranking: No. 10 cornerback, No. 100 overall

Stats (junior season): Six interceptions (including four returned for touchdowns), ten pass-breakups 

Frame and athleticism

Johnson physically looks ready to play, at least in a rotational role, in college right now. He pairs good height with ideal arm length as his fingertips just about reach the top of his knees at full extension. That much is made clear by his play: It takes great length to break up as many passes as Johnson has in addition to the ability to close on the top of routes.

Johnson has that ability, too, thanks to his speed, having clocked a 4.5-second 40-yard dash previously. He can keep up with deep-threat receivers as they push downfield at the boundary, cut to the seam from outside of the numbers in a timely fashion, and accelerate downhill to cover underneath routes or play the run.

Where Johnson's movement skills can improve is laterally, as he isn't the most fluid defensive back in the country and that's natural due to his build. That being said, we have witnessed Johnson's hip fluidity improve over the course of the offseason which has allowed him to play double-moves and sharp-cutting routes a bit better from an off-coverage stance. 

Coverage strengths

Johnson is, through and through, a man-coverage cornerback prototype. The physical skill-set summarized above plays into his game perfectly, as he's a determined jammer at the line of scrimmage who can remain hip-to-hip with receivers well into their routes after his cushion has been eaten up.

When the ball is in the air, in man or zone, Johnson does a good job of remaining in sync while tracking the pass-in. His reach makes it easy to tip passes as they approach the receiver, but Johnson is a sure-handed player by nature, so he'll often turn contested balls into turnovers.

Johnson plays his best zone coverage in Cover 3, with plenty of depth to scan the quarterback and the ability to use aspects of his man coverage skill-set – speed and a fantastic wingspan – to his advantage down his third of the field. These attributes are what made NFL star Richard Sherman such a great Cover 3 corner.

His downhill burst and closing speed within zone coverage are also impressive. It has allowed Johnson to break on short and/or in-breaking routes and undercut passes for interceptions and breakups on numerous occasions. His long-speed takes over from there, seen last season en route to four pick-sixes. 

Johnson is savvy in reading route concepts and can bait quarterbacks into a throw they'll regret, particularly showcased against Hi-Lo concepts such as Smash and Flood. This is a sign of high football IQ at defensive back and can in part be attributed to his experience playing wide receiver.

Room to improve

As mentioned, Johnson could become a more fluid cornerback even though he has gotten better in that department this offseason. Considering his need for development there and his size, some shiftier wide receivers and double-move specialists have given him trouble in the past and likely will win their share of reps against Johnson at the next level, especially in deeper zones.

Although Johnson is certainly a strong projection as a press-man corner, his technique can improve in that coverage as well. His footwork could use some polish in order to more cleanly mirror routes, and while his initial punch is very strong, his hand usage could be touched up in order to sustain his press within the five-yard window of the line of scrimmage.

If Florida is worried that Johnson may not be fluid enough to play cornerback against the dynamically-evolving receiver play in the SEC, his skill-set would fit very well at safety. He's more than rangy enough to play two-high and even one-high in Cover 3, and similarly to his production at corner, Johnson's length would lead to a lot of pass breakups on the backend of the defense.

Final thoughts

This isn't written lightly, a solid comparison of Johnson's physical profile is that of former Gators cornerback Kaiir Elam when he was coming out of high school. At the time, Elam stood at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and mainly won mainly with his towering and lengthy frame, physicality and ball skills at the prep level.

Over time, Elam's technique was refined in both zone and off-man coverage to match his natural abilities in press, and his lateral agility enhanced along the way as UF's coaching and conditioning staff unlocked his change of direction prowess.

No, that doesn't mean we absolutely expect Johnson to develop into a first-round pick as Elam did, but his frame, athleticism and general skill-set are very similar to UF's most recent day one draft selection when he starred at North Palm Beach (Fla.) The Benjamin School. We'd even argue Johnson is a more polished zone corner than Elam was at the time, although he's a bit less fluid comparatively. 

Considering Raymond's well-noted background of developing defensive backs of similar builds to Elam and Johnson into stars at LSU, it's easy to understand why he wants to work with the latter at UF.

Johnson has the tools to one day emerge as a quality, or better, starting boundary cornerback in the SEC, as Elam did before the end of his freshman season. His build and abilities could also lead Johnson to play safety at UF, especially as the Gators have lacked range at the position for several years.

There's a reason why Ohio State, a regular playoff contender, attempted to pull Johnson out of the Sunshine State for his college career. Snatching his commitment away from the Buckeyes, even though it took some time, stands out as one of Billy Napier's most substantial recruiting wins during his tenure at Florida, if not the most substantial.

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