Derrick Johnson articles...

I'm still not sure who I wanted more, Thomas Davis (faster, big-time hitter) or Derrick Johnson, but I guess it doesn't matter.

Derrick Johnson (profile from nfl.com)

AGILITY
4.55 in the 40-yard dash … 345-pound bench press … 495-pound squat … 315-pound power clean … 32½-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-10 broad jump … 32-inch arms … 9½-inch hands.

ANALYSIS

Johnson is a natural leader with exceptional quickness and is regarded as one of the finest pass defenders to ever play linebacker in the collegiate ranks. He has good size, but needs to dedicate more hours to the weight room; he lacks strength on his lanky frame. This is Johnson's major weakness; he does not show enough power to shed blocks and gets washed out on plays when working in-line. He also needs to use his hands better; he leaves himself too exposed, resulting in the blockers getting into his chest to lock on and sustain. Johnson did add bulk before the 2004 season, but the added weight did not affect his exceptional quickness.

He is best when making plays on the move, but can get a little bit out of control, resulting in over-running plays. Still, he is a natural playmaker who can make plays anywhere on the field. Johnson has excellent instincts in pass coverage, coming out of his backpedal quickly to stay on the hip of the receiver. He gets excellent depth in his pass drops and sees the play develop quickly. Johnson has excellent hands for the interception and shows an explosive burst to elude. He has a very strong work ethic and a motor that never quits. Johnson excels at making proper reads and has that sudden burst to get to the play almost instantly. Johnson's ability to take proper angles to the ball cuts down on the route he must take to disrupt the play.

Johnson is more of a drag-down tackler than one who will collide on impact. He is very effective rerouting the tight ends in the short area and shows excellent avoidance skills when penetrating the backfield off the edge. Johnson has good hip snap and change-of-direction agility to pursue the action on the outside. He closes with a sudden burst and is very effective to wrap and drag down the ball carrier. He gets a good jump on the ball, easily recognizing formations and blocking schemes.

Despite his lack of ideal strength, Johnson is a good outside run defender who plays with leverage and speed to cut off the ball carrier. His lateral pursuit is evident; he consistently avoids trash and the cut block to make the tackle in space. His zone drops are excellent; he shows more than enough flexibility to gain position. While he will play the receiver mostly, Johnson also does well at reacting to the ball in flight. He has the foot speed to stay with most backs and receivers in long-passing situations and is very effective using his hands to reroute and control tight ends in the short area.

He shows a strong desire to get the sack and very good explosion shooting the gaps. Whether working in-line or outside the box, he shows above-average ability to break down and wrap, and a superb burst of speed coming off the edge as a pass rusher. Johnson will struggle with plays run directly at him; he lacks the lower-body power to face up, stack and control the bigger blockers. He loses leverage at the point of attack vs. the offensive guards working in-line, but has good rip, swim and club moves to get an edge on the shoulder of the offensive tackles coming from the outside.

Once he gets heavily involved in a good weight-training program, he will be a steady playmaker at the next level. With his instincts, pass-defense skills and quickness, he will be perfectly suited to roam the field as a weak-side outside linebacker. His ability to drop back and settle into the zone soon will see him rival Miami's Zach Thomas for the right to be called the best pass defender among linebackers at the NFL level.

Here are a couple articles about him from nfl.com.

Little background story
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/8379026

Interview after UT Pro Day
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/8320534

Note, at the combines in 2000, Urlacher measured out at: At 6-3 3/4, 258 pounds, he ran about a 4.62 40-time. (4.48 at other locations.)

Oh yeah. In the 3rd round, I had hoped Blackstock would fall to us.