Finding Broncos: Desjuan Johnson | IDL/Edge | Toledo

Finding Broncos scouts the 2023 NFL Draft with a versatile small school defensive lineman.

Measurements

  • Height: 6-foot-2
  • Weight: 267 pounds
  • Arms: 31-7/8 inches
  • Hands: 9-5/8 inches

Stats

Des Johnson

Pros

  • Consistent production through the years. 
  • Has solid explosiveness.
  • Solid athlete with solid strength. 
  • Gets off the snap well. 
  • Has plenty of experience under his belt. 
  • Versatile to move around the defensive front. 
  • Showed up quite well at the Shrine Game. 
  • Has a solid arsenal of pass-rush moves. 
  • When he keeps his pads low, he plays with good leverage.
  • Can transfer explosion to power. 
  • Has good lateral mobility and agility to work horizontally. 
  • Has a strong punch that he executes with timing and placement. 

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Cons

  • He is a bit of a tweener with his size and play style. 
  • Not a full-time interior defensive lineman or full-time edge. 
  • Bad habit of raising his pad level off the snap. 
  • Lacks ideal length leading to tackling issues. 
  • Will be older than desired to start his NFL career. 
  • Missed 24 tackles over the last two seasons. 
  • Struggled to hold up against tougher competition consistently. 
  • Probably limited to a pass-rush specialist. 
  • Doesn't have enough strength to drop and anchor at the point of attack. 

Overview

The traits are all there with Johnson, but he lacks size. He is a solid athlete with solid power as a pass rusher, but it doesn't show up consistently against the run. Johnson is a bit of a tweener, which a creative defensive coordinator can move around and exploit matchups against the offensive line. However, due to his general lack of length and size, he will likely wait before hearing his name in a deep class. 

Fit with Broncos

The Denver Broncos need help getting after the quarterback. They struggled after Randy Gregory got hurt, and they traded away Bradley Chubb. Vance Joseph likes to move his guys around to get advantageous matchups, and Johnson can be a big boost with his ability to work inside or out. 

Johnson would make sense as a late-round flier for the Broncos if they keep Dre'Mont Jones or not. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to have another pass-rush specialist as they do with Nik Bonitto, and it could create some creative pass-rush attacks in the aggressive scheme Joseph runs. However, it could hurt their run defense or tempt teams to audible to a run when he is on the field. 

Grade: Top 175

Projecting Draft Slot: Round 6


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Published
Erick Trickel
ERICK TRICKEL

Erick Trickel is the Senior Draft Analyst for Mile High Huddle, has covered the Denver Broncos, NFL, and NFL Draft for the site since 2014.