DJ Johnson Isn't a Finished Product but the Upside is What Intrigued Carolina

Some background on the Panthers new pass rusher.

Scott Fitterer didn't turn many heads with his selection of quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he sure did when he made the decision to draft Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson in the third round. 

Not only was Johnson not expected to go in the third round, but Carolina made the decision to trade up 13 spots to go get him.

Why would they do such a thing? Well, it's simple. They knew they needed to come out of this draft with another pass rusher and he was one of the very few left that they had conviction on. 

"There was a run of pass rushers that went,' Fitterer said following day two of the draft. "You get in the third round and if you don't get up and get a pass rusher at that point, there's really not much left. You can argue both ways, but we did the right thing based on our board, based on our team. We were aggressive. You never want to force need but this is a 6'4", 260-pound guy that ran 4.4. He's got rare traits. And with our staff and the conviction that EJ [Evero] and Dom [Capers], and our coaching staff had with him, the way our scouts felt about him, there's a ton of development with him. His upside is huge. Once he settles in and gets the coaching, this guy can be a force off the edge. I think his best ball is in front of him."

This past season, really the only year where Johnson concentrated fully on the defensive side of the ball, he recorded 39 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Not huge numbers by any means but this is a pick based solely on potential, in my opinion. 

So, what exactly does Johnson bring to the table? I reached out to our friend, Max Torres, the publisher of Ducks Digest on Sports Illustrated/FanNation.

"DJ Johnson has had an interesting path to the NFL. After starting out his college career as a defensive lineman at Miami, the Northern California native decided to come back out West and spend three years at Oregon.

"During his time in Eugene, it was evident that he was one of the team's best athletes, regardless of position. So much so that he moved to tight end during the 2020 season and became a top option in Oregon's passing game, which admittedly was very limited with Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown leading the way.

"The 2021 and 2022 seasons have been more productive for Johnson since he was able to focus more on the defensive side of the ball. Even so, he was the face of Oregon's pass rush in 2022 and still largely under-delivered. That was probably a combination of team's isolating him in their game plans and the rest of the Ducks' defensive line struggling to generate consistent push at the line of scrimmage on blitzes.

"Overall, I think DJ Johnson's Oregon career didn't quite develop into what he or the coaches had ultimately hoped for, but there were definitely some highlights and he's got very clear upside and above-average athleticism.

"NFL coaching could be just what he needs to take his game up a notch and reach his full potential."

Although he doesn't have much experience under his belt, his body, traits, and makeup fit Evero's scheme much better than Yetur Gross-Matos at outside linebacker. Does this mean he will start day one? No, not necessarily. Ideally, I think Carolina would like to go out and add another veteran piece ahead of training camp. But regardless, Johnson should be in the two-deep and have some level of impact from the jump. 

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