Giants sign Leonard Johnson in second wave of NFL free agency
The New York Giants made an important, yet wildly underrated signing late last night. Per the New York Giants Twitter account, they have officially signed cornerback Leonard Johnson. Unlike typical free-agent signings that we have seen in the past week, Johnson has yet to play a game in the NFL. In fact, the Giants are […]
The New York Giants made an important, yet wildly underrated signing late last night.
Per the New York Giants Twitter account, they have officially signed cornerback Leonard Johnson.
Unlike typical free-agent signings that we have seen in the past week, Johnson has yet to play a game in the NFL.
In fact, the Giants are the first team to even give him a shot at his NFL dream. So you probably think it's because he can't play right?
Nope, in fact it was due to an unfortunate injury that occurred during his pre-draft preparation last spring.
Preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson tore his ACL and went undrafted and unsigned out of Duke.
Until now that is.
Johnson put together a stellar career for the blue devils, one that included 165 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 17 pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.
He did so while missing only one game, proving durable during the duration of his college career.
At six feet tall and nearly 200 pounds, Johnson had a great workout during his Pro Day workout last year, recording a 4.54 40-yard dash a vertical of 33.0 inches, and a 10.5' broad.
At the very least, Johnson is a low-risk-high reward signing that can contribute to special teams and add depth to the back of the DB room.
But something we know about Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen is that they have an eye for talent.
So maybe Johnson turns out to be a diamond in the rough, using his past misfortune and future opportunity as motivation to carve out a long tenure in New York.
Read the official press release from the Giants here.
