Name: Duke Johnson
College: Miami (FL)
Class: Junior
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’9"
Weight: 206
Background/Character | Leadership: 9 | Experience: 9 | Off-the-Field: 10 |
| Mental Capacity: 9 | Mental Toughness: 9 | Durability: 7 |
Duke Johnson has been one of the more active individuals in college football with his philanthropy in the community. He has great character demonstrated through his willingness to work through injury and turmoil within the program. Johnson has three years of experience, but his ability to stay healthy is a concern. His build is compact, but he is light and needs to add some weight to endure the NFL beating.
Final Grade: 8.83
Athleticism | Balance: 8 | C.O.D: 10 | Explosiveness: 9 |
| Flexibility: 9 | Coordination: 9 | Body Type: 8 |
Johnson is an explosive running back with the ability to put defenders in the position to miss. He doesn't have great power, but his compact frame keeps him balanced enough to absorb partial hits without going down. He changes direction effortlessly due to his exquisite foot speed. Johnson’s ability to cut on a dime is needed to turn small plays into chunk gains.
Final Grade: 8.83
Running Talent | Game Speed: 9 | Quickness: 9 | Acceleration: 10 |
| Leg Drive: 8 | Lateral Control: 10 | Stamina: 8 |
With Johnson’s open field prowess and acceleration, he is a potential game breaking player. Johnson clearly has a top gear that allows him to pull away from any defender, and he gets there in a hurry. His subtle jukes are terrific and make him an excellent fit into any scheme. Johnson always falls forward and fights for extra yards.
Final Grade: 9
Running Style | Vision: 9 | Patience: 8 | Anticipation: 8 |
| Elusiveness: 9 | Maneuverability: 9 | Fumbling: 6 |
Johnson has seven fumbles in 30 career games, which is very average to below average. He must carry the ball more carefully as he gets downfield. His vision and cutback ability create massive chunk yard gains in zone block plays. He does struggle to break off such runs in gap-based blocking, but his line was part of the issue too. Shows ability to press and draw the LBs in, then turn upfield and blow past.
Final Grade: 8.16
Non-Running | Football IQ: 8 | Blocking Technique: 7 | Pass Blocking: 7 |
| Experience: 9 | Hands: 8 | Routes: 7 |
Not many running backs get the type of third down snaps that Johnson has throughout his career, so his comfort contributing in the pass game is solid. He has good hands and route running ability for a young back. There is no doubt he can be on the field on passing plays as a receiver. His build is somewhat slight, and pass pro is raw still. He’s willing, but needs to use his hands and anchor more effectively.
Final Grade: 7.66
| Player Comparison: | Stevan Ridley/Lesean McCoy |
| Projected Draft Position: | 2nd Round |
| Best Scheme Fit: | Zone Running |
| Injury History: | Broken ankle in 2013, Concussion/migraine issues |
| Career Accolades: | All-ACC in 2013, 2014 |
| Career Stats: | 4,238 career yards from scrimmage, 30 TDs |
Final Analysis
Duke Johnson has always been an explosive back with his blazing speed and elite acceleration, but his vision and ability to withstand contact made a major jump in his junior season.
Johnson is compact at 5’9” and 206 pounds, but he needs to add a little more weight if he’s going to be a pure feature back. His injury history is a concern for his durability moving forward. He’s an ultra-productive player that has great feet behind the line of scrimmage to create more yards without compromising running lanes. He makes subtle jump cuts to make defenders miss, and after that, he glides downfield. Johnson’s talent will not hold him back, but his durability might.
In a zone-blocking scheme, Johnson could lead the NFL in rushing yards. He’s a terrific talent with upside to be a three-down back early on.
Final Grade: 8.47 - 2nd Round Value