Arrowhead Pride
Johnson would provide Andy Reid with a strong option in short-yardage situations.
The Kansas City Chiefs have starter Isiah Pacheco and backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire under contract and set for the 2024 NFL season. But they could use some depth competition to the likes of La’Mical Perine and Deneric Prince.
Let’s introduce Washington running back Dillon Johnson. Here’s what we know:
Coming out of high school, Johnson was a three-star recruit from Mississippi. Johnson didn’t have a ton of offers, mainly just carrying in-state interest from Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Johnson chose Mississippi State, where he would play three seasons for the Bulldogs.
Johnson got on the field early as a freshman, putting up 51 carries, 225 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson’s role would expand over the next two seasons, but not significantly. He only started 13 games between his sophomore and junior years. Over that time, he had just 178 carries, 973 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. Johnson was a prominent receiving back in Mike Leach’s offense, putting up 113 catches, 707 yards and a touchdown over two seasons.
Johnson entered the transfer portal in 2022 after a conflict with Leach. Leach passed in December of 2022, and Johnson came out and shared a heartfelt message about Leach’s passing. Johnson doesn’t have character concerns; he just had a falling out with a coach, which happens everywhere.
Johnson transferred to Washington, where he put together his best collegiate season. He had 233 carries, 1,195 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns in his senior year. Although he didn’t contribute as much as a receiver at Washington, he still put up 24 catches and 190 yards receiving. Johnson ended up being a second-team All-Pac-12 member for his season.
Johnson participated in every drill at the NFL Scouting Combine except for agility testing. He came in at 5’11 5/8” (69th percentile) and 217 lbs. (62nd percentile). He didn’t run a good 40-yard dash time at 4.68 seconds (12th percentile) with a 1.62 10-yard split (26th percentile). His jumps weren’t much better, posting a 31 1/2” vertical jump (17th percentile) and 117” broad jump (37th percentile).
And yet, even with his athletic concerns, I liked Johnson’s film.
Now, does he appear overly athletic? No. Instead, he wins with his size and contact balance. Defenders fall off Johnson all the time. His ability to take hits and leave defenders falling is impressive. He always remains upright as guys try and tackle him. Some of my favorite Johnson plays are him pushing the pile by himself with multiple defenders around him trying to bring him down. Even with a lack of speed, Johnson is tough to tackle in space.
Johnson isn’t overly rangy or explosive, but he is effective in open space. On swing routes, Johnson can use his size and field vision to run over defenders. He’s a very stiff mover, so cutting in space won’t look great, but he can roll downhill and create...
