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NFL Draft Player Profile: Robert Johnson Free Safety Utah Utes
Written by Brett Solesky   
Thursday, 11 March 2010 02:23
The fourth known player to set up an official workout and visit with the Bears is free safety prospect Robert Johnson from Utah.  Johnson is a rangy prospect whom the Bears scouted out recently at his pro day in Salt Lake City.  Another one of those prospects who projects in the latter rounds of the NFL draft he wasn't invited out to the scouting combine. 

Johnson is 6-foot-2 203-pounds and ran a 4.59 40-yard dash during the Utes' pro day.  The Bears are as usual focused on a lot of late round safety prospects that weren't invited to the combine to see if they have missed anyone in the video they've scouted.  Johnson may very well fit into that category since he has improved as a player each of his years as a starter. 

Johnson pulled down a total of six INTs in 2009 and four in 2008 of the four he pulled down in '08 they all came against ranked opponents, with two of them coming in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama. 
Robert Johnson
Johnson's strength is as a zone center fielder type of free safety that plays the ball well when it's in the air.  He struggles in man coverage and isn't quite the in the box type of safety that the Bears like for their one gap scheme.  Lost in the constant talk of finding that ball hawk free safety is the need for that safety to fit in well with the Bears' defensive scheme.  Each player in the one gap scheme is responsible for any player that hits the hole or his gap and he must make the tackle.  This explains why the Bears have primarily gone after tackling first safeties versus the prospects that make plays on the ball like Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu. 

Johnson isn't rated as high as some of the other prospects primarily due to his lack of versatility as a safety.  He's mostly a one trick pony who doesn't have the pure athleticism you'd like to see in your starting safety.  More a developmental project who isn't likely to be the type to come in and earn a roster spot as a rookie. 

The risks involved in drafting Johnson outweigh the benefits at least on paper.  However there is the one lingering argument that is hard to ignore, if the Bears like him then he could be legit.  Finding late round DB talent is about the only thing Jerry Angelo has done right during his tenure in Chicago.  Al Afalava is yet another successful example of this success, unfortunately he's more of a strong safety than a free safety. 

Johnson does have legitimate ball hawking instincts, not elite instincts but his stats and play prove that there may be young untapped potential there.  The question the Bears may have to ask if they do in fact draft Johnson is has he already reached his ceiling like some NFL prospects have, or is there a lot of potential in his instincts that they see in his play that could lead to him succeeding in the Cover-2 scheme?
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