National Football League

2017 NFL Draft: Iowa Jaleel Johnson Scouting Report

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:05 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Jon Dove/FanSided via With the First Pick

Iowa’s Jaleel Johnson is a well-built defensive line prospect who has seen his overall draft stock rise after his performance at the Senior Bowl.

Jaleel Johnson enjoyed a successful career at Iowa where he made a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. He proved to be a well-rounded player who was able to wreak havoc in the backfield and hold up against the run.

Johnson features a thick lower half that gave him the ability to anchor after contact. His arm length and commitment to gaining inside hands help him keep blockers off his frame. It also allowed him to disengage and attack the ball carrier.

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This is a naturally powerful player that has the upper-body strength to press the blocker as well as push the pocket. In fact, Johnson completely ran through a blocker on a more than a few occasions.

The most intriguing part of his game is his ability to penetrate and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He flashes excellent quickness off the snap which helps him shoot the gap. This has helped him both generate pressure on the quarterback and impact the flow of the running game.

Johnson has a ton of upside, but his inconsistent effort and pad level could keep him from reaching his potential.

He tends to stand straight up after the snap which hurts his ability to maintain leverage and get proper positioning. It also negates his quick first step by giving the blocker time to get into his frame. Johnson will be nothing more than a flash player until he commits to keeping his pads down.

His overall effort level is also a little inconsistent. There are times where he obviously isn’t playing his hardest which is tied to his pad level problems.

Current Draft Range: 3rd Round

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