Kevin Johnson (cornerback)
Introduction
Kevin Johnson (born August 5, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wake Forest.
Early years
Johnson attended River Hill High School in Clarksville, Maryland, where he played both cornerback and running back.
Considered a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Johnson was listed as the No. 45 cornerback in the nation in 2010. He committed to Wake Forest University to play college football.
College career
Johnson attended Wake Forest from 2010 to 2014. As a true freshman, he played in 11 games with five starts. In 2011, he redshirted after being ruled academically ineligible. He returned in 2012 as a starter and remained as the starter throughout his senior season. Johnson finished his career with 189 tackles and seven interceptions.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Coming out of college, analysts projected Johnson to be a first round draft choice. He was ranked the second best cornerback out of the 212 available in the 2015 NFL draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Johnson attended the NFL Combine and completed all the drills and workouts but chose not to do the bench press. At Wake Forest's Pro Day, he only performed positional drills after being satisfied with his combine performance. Representatives and scouts from 22 NFL teams attended his pro day, including defensive back coaches from the Steelers, Vikings, Eagles, and Titans.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in | 188 lb | 31 in | 8⅜ in | 4.52 s | 1.59 s | 2.63 s | 3.89 s | 6.79 s | 41½ in | 10 ft 10 in | |||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
2015 NFL Draft
On April 30, 2015, Johnson was selected by the Houston Texans with the 16th pick in the first round 2015 NFL draft.
Houston Texans
2015: Rookie season
On May 8, 2015, the Houston Texans signed Johnson to a four-year, $10.04 million contract with a signing bonus of $5.50 million.
Johnson started the regular season as the third cornerback on the Texan's depth chart behind veterans Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson. He made his professional debut in the Houston Texan's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and recorded two solo tackles in the 20-27 loss. On October 4, 2015, he made a season-high five solo tackles in his first career start in a 21-48 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The next game, Johnson had his second consecutive start and made five combined tackles in a 20-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 8, Johnson had one of the best games of his rookie year when he recorded a season-high six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Titan's quarterback Zach Mettenberger for his first career interception. He returned the interception for 22-yards and helped the Texans defeat the Titans 6-20. Johnson finished his rookie season with a total of 54 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, and an interception while playing in all 16 games and starting ten.
2016
The following season, Johnson returned as the Texan's third cornerback and made two solo tackles in their season-opening victory over the Chicago Bears. The following week, he made four solo tackles in a 19-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. On October 2, 2016, he made his first start of the season and racked up two solo tackles during the Texan's 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. On October 16, 2016, Johnson recorded a career-high nine solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and a pass deflection in the Texan's 26-23 defeat of the Indianapolis Colts. He broke his foot during the game and was placed on injured-reserve on October 22, 2016.
Johnson finished his second season with 25 combined tackles and three pass deflections in six games and three starts.
Personal
Johnson is childhood friends with former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Michael Campanaro. Johnson and Campanaro attended high school and college together.