SI All-American Candidate L.J. Johnson Highlights and Evaluation

L.J. Johnson is a running back prospect from Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas. Johnson is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: RB L.J. Johnson

Projected Position: Running Back

Status: SI All-American candidate 

Vitals: 5-foot-10, 205 pounds 

School: Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair 

Schools of Interest: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas and LSU

Frame: Thick neck, shoulders and arms. Well-defined through shoulders, biceps and triceps. Solid torso. Sturdy thighs. 

Athleticism: Ran 4.42 40-yard dash time last spring, along with a 4.26 short-shuttle time and a vertical jump of more than 34 inches. Smooth and fluid runner with good stride. Fair quickness to punch to and through alleys. Runs well behind pads with solid contact balance. 

Instincts: Good 1-cut-and-go runner. Possesses very good vision in line-of-scrimmage approach, as he is capable of pressing hole and declaring late. Reads appropriate linebacker and makes correct decision to either bang or bend run. Has good peripheral vision. Can locate and climb to second hole from first level. 

Polish: Works from I-formation, single-back and pistol. Run concepts currently feature him attacking downhill, traps, counters, stretches and toss/sweep action. Used in screen game and also ran a wheel route in tapes viewed. Doesn’t play to posted 40-yard time. More smooth than twitchy, somewhat just 1-gear. Limited wiggle and pick-and-slide display. Must prove he can consistently factor in passing game. 

Bottom Line: A 1-cut runner, Johnson has a smooth running style with fluid movement skills. He possesses good run instincts and vision, which lead to him consistently making good decisions. While he doesn’t always show elite quickness and play speed, the Texas native is a steady and reliable runner. Johnson could fit best as an inside-zone runner at the collegiate level in an offense that also has some lead power/man-blocking concepts.