Potential steal of the draft is starting to show the Jaguars elite potential
A lot of fans have given the Jacksonville Jaguars general manager, Trent Baalke, some flack over the years for some of the decisions he has made in his role. However, I think we are looking at the Jaguars having one of the steals of the 2023 NFL Draft. They had a pretty good draft overall, […]
A lot of fans have given the Jacksonville Jaguars general manager, Trent Baalke, some flack over the years for some of the decisions he has made in his role. However, I think we are looking at the Jaguars having one of the steals of the 2023 NFL Draft. They had a pretty good draft overall, but this fifth-round pick is making a name for himself.
Going into the draft, it was very apparent the Jaguars were going to need to look at safety and potentially draft someone. They have Rayshawn Jenkins, one of the more underrated guys in the league, along with Andre Ciscos, a safety who can play that hybrid role as a linebacker, too, but they needed depth. The Jaguars may have gotten that and more in the fifth round.
"He's showing up every week in the game," Doug Pederson said of rookie Antonio Johnson. "He's making plays; he shows that he's very capable of executing the defense and being in the right positions. He's getting better each week, he's playing with more confidence, and he had a good, solid game yesterday and capped it off with the takeaway there at the end of the game."
Against the Carolina Panthers, Johnson played 36 defensive snaps, which is only 67% of the total defensive snaps played by the Jaguars, according to Pro Football Reference, yet he was still able to make a huge impact. As Pederson mentioned, Johnson had the interception, too.
Lately, Johnson's play has been so good that the team is being forced to play him. They can't keep him on the sideline doing anything because he is playing that well. So, now there are talks about the Jaguars potentially using Johnson at the nickel spot a bit more.
"I think it's really good for us because we can rotate guys," defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said. "We can Tre [CB Tre Herndon] in on third down, Antonio on first down, and vice versa. It just depends on what the calls are and who we're playing against. He's a guy that the game is not too big for as a rookie; he's a playmaker.
"You want that. You want guys that when they're thrown out there, the lights don't get too bright for you. You go out there, and you perform just like you perform in practice. He's making plays, and he'll continue to make plays. We're happy for him. That position, I think, with Tre and with Antonio, we have a group that solidified that spot, and they're making plays for us."
Make no mistake about it – Johnson was a fifth-round pick and may be one of the steals of the draft, but the Jaguars are not surprised by what they have seen out of Johnson. They knew it was only a matter of time, based on everything they saw on tape in college. Why would they have dropped him if they didn't think he could play as well as he is now?
"He had a few injuries early on in the season, but now he's really starting to show what he can do," Caldwell continued on Johnson. "As a rookie, you always have to earn your stripes, and he's earned them. Then, given the opportunity to play, he's gone out there, and he's continued to earn those stripes. We look up, and he's making interceptions and sacks. He's a guy that's a playmaker for us, and the more guys we can throw out there that can make a play, the better we are."
Johnson doesn't quite have the snap totals that other rookies have in his class because of the two guys he plays behind, but his numbers are still not bad for how often he is playing. Let's just start by saying he has had two interceptions this year, which is huge for a rookie, and he has one forced fumble. The more he develops, the more he could turn into a real turnover machine.
Pro Football Focus has Johnson graded at an overall grade of 74.4, which is great for any rookie, let alone a guy who was a day-three draft pick. He has the potential to be a huge piece for the Jaguars, and playing in the postseason, if the Jaguars make it, will only help his development, too.
Antonio Johnson’s versatility could serve the Jaguars well
The 2023 5th round pick could find himself involved early and often in Jacksonville’s defensive gameplan
