SI All-American Candidate Montrell Johnson Highlights and Evaluation

Montrell Johnson is a running back prospect from De La Salle High School in New Orleans, La. Montrell Johnson is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Montrell Johnson
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 184 pounds
Position: Running Back
School: New Orleans (La.) De La Salle
Committed to: Arizona 
Projected Position: Running Back 

Frame: Powerful and compact. Broad shoulders and wide chest taper to taut waist. Chiseled arms. Thick, muscled lower body. Room for additional mass, though likely tops out around 200 pounds. 

Athleticism: Home-run speed in open field. Impressive burst and acceleration upon hitting hole. Good balance through contact. Adequate lateral quickness, though more fluid than agile. Runs with power. 

Instincts: Refuses to go down on first contact. Routinely runs through arm tackles, and will lower shoulder to bowl over defender in hole. Best as one-cut runner between tackles, though can jump-cut outside when initially stymied. 

Polish: Clean footwork and technique at exchange. Shows patience in the backfield while waiting for play to develop. Needs more experience as a pass-catcher. Blocking ability unknown, but has tools to thrive. 

Bottom Line: Johnson is a fast, powerful back with impressive vision. Assuming speed, quickness translate to the Pac-12 level and he develops as a receiver, he could see the field early for Arizona. Projects as surefire contributor of backfield committee, with ceiling of a productive, versatile feature back.