After waiting three seasons for his opportunity, Johnson took over right defensive end chores as a senior, going on to earn All-American and All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. Even though he started just fifteen games during tenure with the Yellow Jackets, he closed out his career with 19.0 quarterback sacks and 30.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Johnson used a burst of closing speed and long wingspan to force 10 fumbles, including three in each of his last three seasons. He also used his reach and leaping ability to block a total of three field goals as a junior and senior.

One of the nation's premier tight ends during his playing days at Dallas County High School, Johnson was team captain, earning Most Valuable Player honors during his senior campaign. That season, he caught 42 passes for 650 yards and six touchdowns while making 92 tackles and 14 sacks. He also had 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. In addition to football, he was also an outstanding basketball player and averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds as a junior.

Johnson enrolled at Georgia Tech in 2005 as one of eight true freshmen to letter. The reserve defensive end saw action in 11 games, recording six tackles (five solo), but also caused a fumble for the kickoff-coverage team and registered his first career sack vs. Virginia Tech.

Playing as a No. 2 right defensive end, Johnson appeared in the team's final 12 games in 2006, missing the first two contests after suffering a neck stinger in August camp. He replaced an injured Oliver vs. Georgia, earning his first career start. He came up with 34 tackles (25 solo), finishing second on the squad with five quarterback sacks. He added six tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three that resulted in forced fumbles.

Johnson saw considerable action coming off the bench in the team's passing situation package in 2007. He only started one game, but totaled 21 tacklers (11 solo). That included four sacks and six stops for losses. He recovered one of the three fumbles he caused and blocked a pair of field goals, including one in the waning moments vs. North Carolina.

The consensus All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection was also named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American first-team in 2008. Serving as one of three team captains, he led the squad sand placed third in the ACC with nine sacks and 17.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. For the third-straight season, he caused three fumbles and also deflected seven passes while returning his first career interception 26 yards for a touchdown.

GENERAL REPORT

GRADE: 6.24

Body Structure: Johnson has outstanding size and a developing frame, but still needs to add power and bulk. He has a solid upper-body frame, with a wide back, long arms, good lower-body strength and room on his frame for additional growth without it impacting his quickness. He has a lean upper body, especially in the shoulders.

Athletic Ability: Johnson has a rare-sized frame with room for additional growth. He can be sudden in his moves off the edge and has good straight-line speed along with effective change-of-direction agility. He shows good hip strike on contact and is a normal strider who plays with good quickness, but will get reckless and over-pursue plays, lacking good ability to redirect. He has the burst to penetrate and balance of a linebacker, but gets washed out of plays often when he gets too tall in his stance and fails to use his reach to keep blockers away. When he keeps his hands active, he can bull rush, but has to use his hands better to keep blockers from attacking his legs. GRADE: 7.7

Football Sense: Johnson has good classroom smarts, but on the field, he lacks consistency. He uses his hands well as a pass rusher, but gets beaten even by the smaller blockers on running plays, as he fails to get leverage working in line. He has good lateral agility and balance, but will often out-run the play and then look lethargic trying to get back into the action. He is going to have to adjust to playing in a down position to rush the passer, as he does not seem to have the awareness and vision to drop into coverage. He needs to sink his pads in order to keep a strong leverage base and must continue to developing the strength needed to grab and drag-down blockers. He just seems to lack intensity in his play and too often, will disappear in big games or get reckless, resulting in foolish penalties than will cost the team a game. GRADE: 5.7

Character: Johnson is a very good character, with no off-field issues. He comes from a supportive two-parent family and has been very compliant to the coaches' program. He might have made a poor decision to skip the Senior Bowl, as he needed to prove to teams that he can play against high-level competition, something he did not do with much consistency during his time at Georgia Tech. GRADE: 6.2

Competitiveness: Johnson lacks consistent production on the field. He plays with minimal aggression and will throttle down or stand around when not involved in the play. He has a poor concept for angles and his intensity level leaves something to be desired. He needs to work to finish and pursue the ball to the whistle more. He might be limited to just being a pass rusher in a 4-3 alignment, as he does not seem to have the "field smarts" and vision to make plays in space. GRADE: 5.4

Work Habits: Johnson is compliant and does whatever coaches ask, but he needs to keep dedicating more hours in the weight room. He has worked hard on adding weight and improving his strength, but still has long stretches on the field, especially vs. the run, where he gets manhandled and puts up little fight. GRADE: 6.2

ATHLETIC REPORT

GRADE: 6.49

Explosion/Pursuit: When he stays down in his pads, Johnson flashes good initial explosion moving at the snap and has impressive acceleration into the backfield. He just lacks the strength to shoot the inside gaps and prefers to make backfield plays coming off the corner. He is quick and agile, but does get reckless and often overruns plays. Given a clear lane he can make impact plays behind the line of scrimmage. He displays good suddenness to gain advantage coming off the snap vs. an offensive lineman. He is a good striker with average hip flexibility. He is best when he beats the defender with his initial burst, as he consistently surprises the blocker with his explosion. GRADE: 8.2

Strength at Point: Johnson improved his bulk and weight room numbers in 2008. He gets mauled by the offensive linemen once the blocker gets a piece of his jersey and needs to use his reach better to keep the opponent off his body in order to be effective. When he executes his hand punch, he can deliver a decent jolt to rock the blocker back, but must keep his hands inside his frame to be more effective. He simply cannot hold his ground when the offensive lineman attacks him on run plays and if asked to handle gap assignments, he is soon defeated. He relies too often on his burst to make plays, but they are usually far and few between. He is not that strong enough to stack and hold at the line of scrimmage. GRADE: 5.2

Use of Hands: Johnson uses his hands effectively to get a push off the blocker, but on inside gap penetration, he has to protect his legs, as he gets cut-blocked quite a bit. He is effective getting his hands on the blocker to slip past his opponent and has developed good hand power, which he shows with an effective swat move. His ability to recoil, pull and jerk the blocker, utilizing his hand span to get a good grip on the offensive tackle, stands out on film. When a blocker gets a piece of his jersey, he will quickly lose that battle. He has good reach and leaping ability to high point and knock down the pass at the line of scrimmage or when trying to block field goals. GRADE: 6.9

Lateral Pursuit/Effort: Johnson is quick to counter and change direction, but does get reckless and overruns the play. The thing you notice on film is that he can't handle low trash, resulting in him playing with marginal leverage. When he stays low in his pads, he can move well to contain the toss sweep. He can get out on the corner to drag the ballcarrier down, but you sometimes question if his motor is running or he just lacks awareness trying to get to the action in space. GRADE: 6.3

Tackling Ability: Johnson is not an explosive tackler, lacking power to go with adequate technique. He doesn't generate the raw strength needed when trying to wrap and drag down the ballcarrier (will engulf, but ballcarriers can take a side and escape). When he is closing on the quarterback, he shows good closing burst, but won't deliver a hit that will punish his opponent (had just five pressures in four years). He is best in open quarters, as he still lacks enough weight to battle in-line, but he has to show that he has the ability to recover in space and stay after his man until the whistle. There are just too many two- and three-tackle game performances to get a feel that he can develop as a tackler. GRADE: 5.2

Run Defense: Johnson needs to remain low in his pads to be effective, as he has good foot speed and balance, but when he takes on larger blockers, he can get washed often because he tends to pop up in his stance and leave his chest exposed. He relies more on his speed and arm reach to get to the ballcarrier, but he does not have the upper-body strength to just blow the runner up. He likes to give chase to the sideline, but doesn't show a good concept for angling. Has a tendency to throttle down too much when he thinks he can't get to the ball. He has some improvement to flash inside leverage and stack. When in pursuit, it is almost impossible to get a decent block on him, as he is so slippery, but he won't be able to rely just on his quickness at the next level. GRADE: 5.3

Pass Rush: Johnson length, reach and initial quickness will see him get on top of san offensive lineman in an instant. He takes a wide loop around the corner to avoid, but has the balance and burst to get to the quarterback in a hurry. He does not handle low blocks well and can be taken down when the opponent attacks his feet and he struggles to free up once he's engaged with a blocker, even the smaller tight ends. He just lacks brute strength and has to rely on his quickness to apply pocket pressure. He does a good job of setting up the edge blockers before redirecting inside and his short burst always lets him beat the blocker at the set point. The thing I like is that he gets the blocker off balance with his explosion and that results in the tackle being driven back into the passer. GRADE: 8.7

Closing on the QB: Johnson has a good forward burst of speed that allows him to close in a flash, but he will lose sight of the quarterback, resulting in just five pressures in 49 games. He shows the ability to close, but you would like to see him generate more power behind his hits when trying to drill the passer. He gets too enamored with the sack and forgets his gap responsibilities too much and it is rare to see him consistently flash that second effort when his initial move fails. GRADE: 7.2

Instincts/Recognition: Johnson plays with an inconsistent motor and lacks great awareness. He sometimes fails to read the trapping/blocking scheme and appears to be a high-energy type that relies on his quickness to get him to the ball. There are times where his reads are so poor, the ballcarrier just takes a side and slips past him. GRADE: 5.4

Compares To: SIMEON RICE, ex-Tampa Bay -- Johnson has a lanky, wiry frame that gets him in trouble on running plays, on which he can't sink his pads well enough to prevent double teams from washing him out. Also like Rice, he seems too enamored with making the sack and will forget a lot of his other assignments, especially gap responsibility. Some "experts" compare him to the Giants' Mathias Kiwanuka or even to Julius Peppers -- neither comparison can be further from reality. Johnson's game isn't well-rounded. Johnson disappears for long stretches and that shouldn't happen for a player with his athletic ability and rare-sized frame. His physical attributes are what a team is going to drool over when they take him much earlier than his production indicates he should go on draft day.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.45

In 49 games at Georgia Tech, Johnson started 15 contests at right defensive end, recording 107 tackles (69 solo) with 19.0 sacks for minus 149 yards, 30.5 stops for losses totaling 183 yards and five quarterback pressures … Recovered two fumbles, caused 10 others, deflected 10 passes and intercepted another for a 26-yard touchdown return … Also blocked three field goals … His 19.0 sacks rank seventh in school history behind Greg Gathers (31, 1999-2002), Coleman Rudolph (28.5, 1989-92), Marco Coleman (27.5, 1989-91), Eric Henderson (25.0, 2002-05), Pat Swilling (23.0, 1982-85) and Felipe Claybrooks (20.0, 1997-2000) … His 30.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage tied Adamm Oliver (2004-07) for 15th place on the school all-time record list … Tied Jesse Tarplin (1988) and Nick Rogers (2000) for tenth on Tech's season-record list with nine sacks in 2008 … His 17.5 stops for loss in 2008 placed 10th on the season-record chart.

All-American first-team selection by the American Football Coaches Association, adding honorable mention from Sports Illustrated … Consensus All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team choice … Served as one of three team captains … Recorded 46 tackles (28 solos) as he led the team and finished third in the conference with nine sacks for minus 85 yards and 17.5 stops for losses of 99 yards … His sack totals and tackle for loss numbers both rank tied for tenth on the school season-record list … Caused three fumbles for the third consecutive year and also recovered one fumble … Deflected seven passes and had a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown … Also blocked the third field goal for his Tech career … On 43 running plays he was directly involved in, the opposition gained 37 yards (0.86 yards per carry) with one touchdown … On 16 pass attempts into his territory, his opponents completed six of those tosses for 68 yards and a touchdown (11.33 yards per completion/ 5.23 yards per pass attempt) … Recorded 12 third-down stops and one more on fourth-down … On two goal line plays, he held opposing ball carriers to no yardage.

Jacksonville State … Thanks to dehydration in the heat, Johnson missed most of the season opener and did not record any tackles in his first game as a full-time starter.

Boston College … Johnson managed just three tackles, but one took down Montell Harris for a 1-yard loss midway through the third quarter … Head to Head Competition-OT#74-Anthony Castonzo (6:07-287).

Virginia Tech … The right end was held to three tackles for the second straight week, but forced Virginia Tech to punt on their first possession of the third quarter, as he assisted in sacking QB Tyrod Taylor for a 13-yard loss on a third-&-6 snap … Johnson was later charged with a face mask penalty, setting up the Hokies' game-winning 21-yard field goal to hand the Yellow Jackets a 20-17 loss … Head to Head Competition-OT#77-Ed Wang (6:05-310).

Mississippi State … Johnson was held to two solo tackles, but made a considerable amount of timely plays … Midway through the first quarter, he recovered a fumbled snap at the MSU 40 and on the next series, he blocked an 18-yard field goal attempt … at the start of the fourth quarter, he sacked Tyson Lee for a 5-yard loss on a fourth-&-1 play at the Tech 7, killing a 9-play, 68-yard drive … Head to Head Competition-OT#79-Derek Sherrod (6:05-298).

Gardner-Webb … Johnson produced a career-high ten tackles (5 solos) with 1.5 sacks, 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and a pass deflection … Johnson crushed QB Stan Doolittle on a first quarter 10-yard sack, sending the passer to the sidelines for several series … When he returned, Johnson batted down his third-&-4 second quarter pass, forcing Gardner Webb to punt … With Doolittle again out of action, Johnson introduced his replacement, Devin Campbell to the ground on a 7-yard sack with 1:03 left in the first half … In the third frame, Johnson was called for a personal foul on a missed 34-yard field goal attempt and the opponent used that penalty as an opportunity to score on an 8-yard run … Head to Head Competition-OT#75-Demario Deese (6:04-305).

Clemson … Back to facing Division I competition, Johnson was held to three tackles … Head to Head Competition-OT#61-Chris Hairston (6:06-320).

Virginia … Johnson registered the only sack allowed by All-American offensive tackle Eugene Monroe for 2008, taking down Marc Verica on a fourth quarter third-&-7 snap that caused a fumble, but Virginia recovered … Also made four solo tackles … Head to Head Competition-OT#75-Eugene Monroe (6:06-315).

Florida State … Johnson proved that quality tops quantity, as he was once again limited to just two tackles, but one resulted in a forced fumble when he sacked QB Christian Ponder on a third-&-4 snap and Tech recovered the ball late in the third quarter … Head to Head Competition-OT#67-Andrew Datko (6:06-276).

North Carolina … Johnson registered six tackles (4 solos) … On the game's first play from scrimmage, he sacked QB Cameron Sexton for a 16-yard loss … Head to Head Competition-OT#72-Kyle Jolly (6:06-300).

Miami … The right defensive end deflected two passes, intercepted another and had a stop behind the line of scrimmage … He returned his first career pass theft 26 yards for a touch-down at the start of the second quarter … Head to Head Competition-OT#64-Jason Fox (6:07-306).

Georgia … Johnson posted seven tackles (3 solos) with a pass deflection and two stops behind the line of scrimmage, including a 7-yard sack of QB Matthew Stafford on a third-&-4 third quarter snap, forcing the Bulldogs to punt … Head to Head Competition-OT#60-Clint Boling (6:05-293).

Louisiana State (Chick-Fil-A Bowl) … The senior team captain closed out his career with three tackles, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble … He sacked QB Jordan Jefferson for a 7-yard loss five minutes into the game and then caused a fumble when he took down Jordan again for minus 8 yards on a third-&-8 option with 1:17 left in the game … Head to Head Competition-OT#70-Ciron Black (6:05-325).

Johnson played in all 13 games, starting in the Humanitarian Bowl after spending the first 12 contests lined up behind Adamm Oliver at right defensive end … Recorded 21 tackles (11 solo) with four sacks for minus-22 yards and six stops for losses of 28 yards … Added four quarterback pressures, as he caused three fumbles and recovered another … Deflected one pass and blocked two field goals.

Both of his tackles in the season opener at Notre Dame were for loss, including a sack, as he added one forced fumble and one pressure … Recovered a fumble the next week vs. Samford … Forced a fumble, had a tackle-for-loss and three stops vs. Virginia … Added a season-high two pressures and a pair of assisted hits vs. Miami … Tallied a pair of sacks, seven tackles (five solo), blocked a Hokie kick, forced a fumble and had one pressure vs. Virginia Tech … Added a sack vs. Duke and blocked a potential game-winning field goal by North Carolina as time expired.

Johnson played most of the season behind Adamm Oliver at right defensive end, earning his first career start vs. Georgia … Sat out the first two games of the season after suffering a neck stinger in August camp … Registered 34 tackles (25 solos) as he finished second on the team with five sacks for minus 48 yards … Added six stops for losses totaling 42 yards, along with one quarterback pressure … Deflected two passes and caused three fumbles.

Made two key plays in Tech's win over Maryland with sacks on the Terps' final two snaps. With the Jackets leading 27-23 in the final minute, Maryland faced third-and-goal at the Tech 4-yard line, when Johnson burst off the edge to sack QB Sam Hollenbach for a 10-yard loss and an additional five yards for grounding. He again sacked Hollenbach on fourth down to preserve the victory … Posted five tackles, a sack, two pass breakups and a forced fumble vs. Troy … Delivered five tackles with two stops for losses, including one sack vs. Miami … Had a sack and two forced fumbles vs. Wake Forest.

Played in 11 games, seeing action mostly on special teams … Recorded six tackles (five solo) … Against Connecticut, he forced a fumble on kickoff coverage that Tech recovered to set up a touchdown … Also had a four-yard sack vs. Virginia Tech … One of eight true Tech freshmen to play in 2005.

2006: Missed the Notre Dame (9/02) and Samford (9/7) contests with a neck stinger suffered during August camp.

Campus: 4.68 in the 40-yard dash … 1.56 10-yard dash … 2.68 20-yard dash … 4.37 20-yard shuttle … 7.42 three-cone drill … 38 1/2-inch vertical jump … 10'8" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times.

Attended Dallas County (Selma, Ala.) High School, playing football for head coach Richard Bush … Rated the seventh-best tight end in the country and the second-best overall prospect in Alabama by Scout.com … Served as team captain, earning Most Valuable Player honors during his senior campaign … That season, he caught 42 passes for 650 yards and six touchdowns while making 92 tackles and 14 sacks … Also had 25 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns as a junior … An outstanding basketball player, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds as a junior.

Management major … Son of Thomasene and Samuel Johnson … Born Michael D. Johnson on 2/07/87 … Resides in Selma, Alabama.