45 in 45: No.9 CJ Johnson

CJ Johnson

Defensive End

Junior

6’3 230 Lbs.

Philadelphia, Miss.

2012 Season: Tyler Russell could be watching American Pie with his grandmother and he wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable as he was in the Egg Bowl because of Johnson. He got into the backfield so often that there is a five minute-long YouTube video entitled “CJ Johnson vs Mississippi State (2012)”.

On the season he led the team with 6.5 sacks and was fourth on the team with 8.0 TFL. Johnson was a Sophomore All-American honorable mention  by College Football News and All-SEC third team by College Sports Madness. Various media outlets listed him anywhere from 2nd-4th team preseason all-conference.

Value: The defensive end positions are absolutely loaded. With Johnson, Robert Nkemdiche, Cameron Whigham, DT Shackleford, Channing Ward and Carlos Thompson, the cupboard is full. There will be no such thing as a gassed defensive line for Ole Miss this season. This allows for Johnson to be fresh all game long which allows him to be at his quickest off the edge.

He is the definition of a game changer. His speed mixed with finesse moves makes him tough for any offensive line to stop. He just keeps adding help as the younger guys are developing. Expect a monster year from the junior who could reach double-digits in sacks in 2013.