Eric Morris Johnson II (born July 16, 1998) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri State, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
| No. 96 – New England Patriots | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 16, 1998 Normal, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 299 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Plainfield South (Plainfield, Illinois) | ||||||||
| College: | Missouri State (2016–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 5 / pick: 159 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
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Early life
editJohnson grew up in Normal, Illinois and later moved to Plainfield, Illinois where he attended Plainfield South High School.[1]
College career
editJohnson was a member of the Missouri State Bears for six seasons and redshirted his true freshman season.[2] He decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and return to Missouri State for a sixth season.[3] In his final season he was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference after recording 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3 blocked kicks.[4]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) |
300 lb (136 kg) |
34+1⁄4 in (0.87 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
4.87 s | 1.70 s | 2.91 s | 4.66 s | 7.58 s | 27.5 in (0.70 m) |
8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) |
20 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Indianapolis Colts
editJohnson was selected in the fifth round with the 159th overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2022 NFL draft.[7]
Johnson was waived by the Colts on August 27, 2024.[8]
New England Patriots
editJohnson was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots on August 28, 2024.[9]
References
edit- ^ Carolina Panthers The Charlotte Observer (subscription required)
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Where could Missouri State defensive lineman Eric Johnson go in the NFL Draft?". Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Missouri State football's Eric Johnson shined at all-star games. His NFL dreams are now getting bigger". Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "NFL Draft: Why Bobby Petrino believes Missouri State's Eric Johnson should be selected". Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ "Colts select Eric Johnson with No. 159 pick in 2022 draft". Colts.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Eric Johnson, Missouri State, DT, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Stankevitz, JJ (April 30, 2022). "NFL Draft 2022: Colts Select Missouri State DT Eric Johnson With No. 159 Pick". Colts.com.
- ^ "Colts make roster moves to form initial 53-man roster for 2024 regular season". Colts.com. August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots Claim Four Players and Release Four Players". Patriots.com. August 28, 2024.