Rookie DJ Johnson wants to prove Panthers didn’t make a ‘mistake’ by trading up for him
DJ Johnson was the Panthers’ most controversial pick on draft weekend.
The pass rusher is still considered a project at 24 years old, and he is coming off a sour end to his college career, as he missed Oregon’s bowl game following an altercation with an Oregon State fan after a late-season loss.
But the 6-foot-4, 260-pound defender turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine with an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.49 seconds. He also completed 28 reps on the bench press. And Johnson’s rare combination of strength and speed — as well as his six-sack output during his first full season as a pass rusher — is what enticed Carolina to trade up from No. 93 to No. 80 to select him.
“His upside is huge,” general manager Scott Fitterer said last week. “He’s a guy that’s played tight end, he’s played defensive end. Once he settles in and gets the coaching, this guy could be a force off the edge. I think his best ball is in front of him.”
Johnson, a Sacramento, California, native, transferred from the University of Miami to the University of Oregon early in his college career. But after moving to his second college campus, Johnson struggled to find a true home on either side of the ball. He played both ways until he finally settled into a full-time pass rusher role as a senior.
While he is still relatively new to being a fixture on the edge, Johnson produced 39 tackles (8.5 for loss), six sacks and two pass breakups during his final season with the Ducks.
Johnson is a work in progress, but he seems to understand the end game.
“I definitely feel like my best football is ahead of me,” Johnson said. “I have always taken a lot of steps from the end of the season to now to prepare and get better. I have been watching a lot of film from last year. Fixing little technique things, bad eye things. Then working on things like polishing the pass rush of your striking in the get off.”
Johnson will join the Panthers’ defense as the unit transitions to a 3-4 front. While Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns is set in stone at one edge position, the starting job on the other side appears to be wide open.
During training camp, Johnson will compete with Marquis Haynes, Amare Barno, Yetur Gross-Matos and Kobe Jones for playing time — and potentially, a starting job as a rookie.
With first-year defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero excited about his skill set, Johnson could have a major leg up on the competition.
“There’s a couple different styles of outside linebackers in our system,” head coach Frank Reich said. “Ideally, you do have the size where you need to set a hard edge, stop the run. Then as far as rushing the passer, there’s the bend rush (and) then there’s speed-to-power. There’s a lot of different ways to affect the quarterback. Ideally — we talk about it on our defense — we’re looking for four guys. So you got one through four. You can have different types of guys.
“Obviously, Burns is number one. He’s the speed guy. We really see DJ as kind of a power guy. Then, as Scott said, (we’ll) continue to develop him into a more complete player.”
And while there is a clear path for Johnson to start, the rookie pass rusher is more focused on proving the Panthers right than his position on the depth chart.
“My goal is to go in there and show the older guys what I got,” Johnson said. “Making an impression on all the fans and all the people within the organization — showing them that they didn’t make a mistake.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
