Rookie Profile: Marquis Johnson

Ok, I posted this article last night but for some reason it didn’t show up on the page. Sorry about the two artcicles back-to-back, but I had no idea it wasn’t up.

Up next on the rookie profiles is cornerback Marquis Johnson out of Alabama. We are now moving into the area of the Rams draft that I wasn’t all that excited with, and Johnson certainly falls into that category. He is a good fit for the defensive scheme we are running here, but I’m not sure Johnson will be able to make this team out of camp this season. He is a good player, but he doesn’t do anything exceedingly well. He was a backup for most of his college career at Alabama, although he was playing behind some pretty impressive specimens in Kareem Jackson and Javier Arenas. He could play some special teams if he makes the squad, but I wouldn’t expect him to make any kind of impact any time soon.

Scouting Report: Johnson has decent size for a corner, and he is physicl in both the run and the pass game. His hands are decent, but are sometimes too active in coverage, which could lead to more penalty calls at the next level. He isn’t great at moving out of breaks in coverage, and he doesn’t locate the ball in the air very well. He is a big hitter for a corner, but sometimes fails to wrap up in the open field when he misses a big hit.

Career: Played in 13 games as a freshman in 2006 and finished the season with seven tackles. In 2007, Johnson played in only nine games and had four tackles, one pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. His junior season in 2008 was the best of his college career, as he started three games and recorded 49 tackles, two interceptions, and five pass breakups. In 2009, Johnson started 10 games and made 29 tackles, one interception, 18 passes defensed, and 17 pass breakups.

My Analysis: I’m not going to denigrate the guy for not being a regular starter in college, because the guys in front of him were really good. With that being said, I just don’t feel like Johnson has a future as an impact player on our team. He has some physical tools that project well, and he may be more of a project for Coach Spags and co. This wasn’t one of my favorite picks this year, but he seems to be a good character guy who will work hard. If he can crack the roster, he may impact special teams, but don’t expect to see him in coverage any time soon.