During a conversation this spring with NFL Draft expert Scott Wright, the president of NFLDraftCountdown.com, the question was asked which of the defensive players from Notre Dame were catching the attention of NFL scouts.
Brian Smith? Kyle McCarthy? Raeshon McNeal? Darrin Walls?
“Those guys are being looked at, sure,” Wright said. “But the guy that is getting the most attention is Ethan Johnson.”
It was a pretty amazing revelation considering Johnson was only 16th on the team with 18 tackles as a freshman last season. It was a pretty amazing testament to Johnson’s potential.
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Although just a sophomore, some NFL Draft pundits believe Johnson is one of the more intriguing prospects on the Irish roster.
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Johnson comes across more as a Rhodes Scholar than a defensive lineman during any dealings with the bright young man. But on the field, he’s calculating, but fierce, and expected to emerge as one of the best Irish defensive lineman in recent history.
He appeared in all 13 games last season, including four starts, hitting his stride down the stretch with seven of his tackles and all three of his sacks coming in the last two games.
The challenge this season will be finding exactly where he belongs on the field. Johnson’s versatility gives the Irish coaches an option at end, tackle, or both. It’s a nice dilemma for the ND brass to deal with.
“I don’t care at all whether I play inside or outside as long as I am helping the team,” Johnson said, admitting that every defensive linemen prefers to be a pass rusher. “I want to be as fast as I possibly can, and I have to get stronger. I will play wherever the coaches want me to.”?
Johnson should become the anchor to a youthful defensive line that could conceivably start three sophomores – Kapron Lewis-Moore, Hafis Williams, and Johnson.
Of course, that could change because Kerry Neal, a starter last year, did not participate in contact work this spring, which means when Neal can participate again in August, he could be the weak side end instead of Johnson, with Johnson then moving inside to replace Williams.
And even that is not set in stone. For example, in nickel packages, Lewis-Moore and Johnson actually would be the inside tackles, with Morrice Richardson and Neal as the pass rushers off the edge.
Get all that?
Johnson was terrific in the spring game, recording six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. His quick evolution into a starter and potential star is especially amazing because Johnson missed all but one game of his high school senior season in Portland, Ore., with a knee injury. Part of Johnson’s rehab while back in Portland was done in the swimming pool, all part of a strong commitment to get healed and on the field.
“I went in (to college) just thinking, ‘I gotta work my tail off,’” Johnson said in a recent story with the Portland Tribune. “And, I feel like I did that. Things fell into place. I knocked the rust off after six games and started to play well at the end of the season. And I want to continue to do that.”
There was some belief that Johnson could have played through the injury his senior seasion, but Johnson said that jeopardizing his long-term goals was not an option.
“Is it possible that if I wasn’t looking to the future and I wasn’t going to play football (at Notre Dame), would I have played my senior year and maybe torn my ACL?” he said. “Um, yeah, a lot of people would have played. But sometimes you’ve got to rest. If you’re looking to the future, you’ve got to make your decision based on what’s probably going to happen.”
What’s a good season?
It’s kind of tough to say. Johnson is still a relatively inexperienced sophomore. But based on his terrific spring and his solid finish to last season, it just feels like he could have a bustout year and set himself up for some truly great things as a junior and senior.
Johnson recorded 18 tackles in 156 minutes of playing time last season. Senior linemate Pat Kuntz recorded 42 tackles in about twice as many minutes last season. Both had 3.5 sacks.
It may be too early to project Kuntz-type numbers this season, but there is no reason to believe that Johnson can’t make significant strides, double his tackle from last season to total to about 35, and perhaps lead the team with at least six sacks.
And maybe more than any other player on the defense, the athletic and versatile Johnson might benefit the most with aggressive Jon Tenuta calling the defensive plays this fall. Johnson really is the wildcard player on the defense.
Good for Johnson, better for Notre Dame.
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