SI All-American Candidate Brandon Johnson Highlights and Evaluation

Brandon Johnson is a cornerback prospect from Newton-Conover High School in Newton, N.C. Johnson is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Brandon Johnson
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 175 pounds
Position: Cornerback/Wide Receiver 
School: Newton (N.C.) Newton-Conover 
Committed to: Duke
Projected Position: Cornerback

Frame: He’s an undersized corner on the outside but has the long arms to make up for the lack of height. 

Athleticism: He’s got really fluid hips and speed turns exceptionally well in zone coverage. There’s samples of ball skills and playmaking ability as well. He’s got a quick first step and can really drive on routes. Positional versatility is a plus, too. 

Instincts: He plays the game with a level of relentlessness that you rarely find in corners his size. He’s played a lot of zone coverage and does so well with his eyes towards the quarterback and playing off his instincts. 

Polish: There’s going to be questions about his ability to play man to man coverage but it’s because he hasn’t been asked to do a ton of it in high school. He’s going to be best-suited playing zone coverage based off his ball skills and ability to cover ground quickly. 

Bottom Line: This is a prospect will seamlessly transition into that invaluable slot corner role. Johnson is physical enough to play run support and his coverage skills are good enough to run and cover the speedster in the slot while handling split out tight ends as well.