Cardinals Player Spotlight: RB David Johnson
The Arizona Cardinals entered the 2015 NFL Draft with aspirations of taking Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with the 24th overall pick, but were unsuccessful in doing so as the San Diego Chargers swooped on the power back before the Cardinals were able to pick.
Due to this the Cardinals were slated to choose a running back later in the draft and they did just that in the third round when they chose David Johnson from the University of Northern Iowa.
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Johnson rushed for 4,682 yards (5.4 yards per carry) in his four seasons at Northern Iowa while also totaling 49 rushing touchdowns. Johnson is also a terrific pass-catcher with at least 30 catches in each season at Northern Iowa. He corralled 141 passes in his collegiate career going for 1,734 yards and 14 touchdowns.
As if his efforts on the offensive side of the ball weren’t enough, Johnson also returned 12 kicks in his collegiate career for an average of 36.5 yards, including one touchdown.
In his senior season he rushed for at least 127 yards in eight games and only finished with less than 100 all-purpose yards just twice all year.In week one Johnson caught five passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. In his most impressive rushing game of the season the 6’1″ 224-pound back rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
The Arizona Republic reported from Cardinals OTA’s and said the following about Johnson…
"Running back David Johnson catches the ball so naturally, he looks like he belongs with the receiver’s group. But can he gain the tough yards inside? That’s something the Cardinals missed last year."
While Andre Ellington is slated to be the number one running back for the Cardinals in 2015, Johnson seems to have found his niche by catching passes in the flat. It should be interesting to see if Johnson can find his way to being the third-down back and goal-line back. Ellington is not big enough to be a goal-line back, so it could be Johnson’s job in the coming weeks.
Personally, I really like Johnson’s skill set. Plus, his ability to find the end zone is outstanding and is not something that just *poof* goes away when you start playing in the NFL. Johnson will transition smoothly to the NFL and will have a successful rookie year with the possibility of being a vulture to Ellington on some touchdowns.