Who is Storm Johnson?

Jaron Foster

storm

After featuring Baltimore rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro in last week’s article, the running back proceeded to go out the following day and put himself squarely on the fantasy radar in dynasty and redraft leagues alike. Hopefully you were able to pick him up before he became a hot commodity, but nonetheless this week we move to a player who is even further down on his team’s running back depth chart. Consequently, you should have more time to determine whether you want to make a trade offer, or maybe even a waiver claim, for the Jaguars’ Storm Johnson.

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The 6’0”, 210 pound running back from Central Florida (UCF) was selected with the 222nd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Highly recruited out of Georgia, Johnson chose the University of Miami and rushed for 119 yards on nine carries in 2010. After only one season, he transferred to UCF following an off-field incident where he was required to redshirt for the 2011 season. In 2012, as the backup to Latavius Murray, Johnson rushed for 507 yards and four touchdowns on 113 carries and caught ten passes for 20 yards. 2013 was his true breakout season, with 1,139 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 213 carries to go along with 20 receptions for 360 yards and three more scores. He amassed a lengthy list of accolades following his junior season including leading the American Athletic Conference in rushing.

Foregoing collegiate eligibility, Johnson chose to follow UCF teammate Blake Bortles to the NFL Draft and subsequently to Jacksonville. Initially projected by many scouts as a fifth or sixth round pick, Johnson was available to Jacksonville in the seventh round in part due to unimpressive measurables – he ran a 4.56 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine and did not rank among the top running backs in any category in which he participated.

Scouting reports for Johnson are all over the board as well. A big back with surprising quickness, he still has room on his frame to bulk up and improve his effectiveness between the tackles. Good vision and patience allow him to take advantage of developing gaps. He keeps moving forward to get every last yard in each carry. As his statistics reflect, Johnson has not been asked to catch many passes out of the backfield but has demonstrated the ability to do so when called upon. He has also shown the versatility to be an asset in either a power running or zone-blocking scheme, the latter of which is currently utilized in Jacksonville.

On the downside, I have heard the phrase “better than the sum of his parts” several times when talent evaluators are describing Johnson. Whether he truly plays better than his talent level should allow is subjective, but as his Combine results reflect he is not great in any single area. He lacks speed to break away from defenders, and only has one season of strong production to his credit. It is also understandable why the coaches such as Bill Belichick passed on him in the draft given that he has had eight fumbles in the last two years and his pass protection needs a lot of work. Johnson owners will hope that his production does not compare to that of his most common NFL comparison, recently re-signed Miami Dolphin Daniel Thomas.

What remains to be seen is how the Jaguars plan to integrate Johnson into their plans at the running back position. To date, an ankle injury and his place as fourth on the depth chart have kept him inactive on game days. Once he is healthy, however, early results on the field indicate Jacksonville may decide they need his services in the near future.

In his first year as a featured running back, Toby Gerhart has yet to prove he can stay healthy and productive in that role. Through three games, he has rushed for just 82 yards on 34 attempts (a 2.4 yards-per-carry average) along with only six receptions for 55 yards. His backups haven’t fared much better with Jordan Todman and 2013 fifth round pick Denard Robinson combining for 57 yards rushing and 22 yards receiving. Jacksonville has yet to get into the end zone on the ground as well. Robinson and Todman aside, Johnson is the only running back on the Jaguars’ roster with a similar running style to their lead back.

Should Gerhart miss an extended period of time (or prove to be an ineffective option altogether), it is reasonable to expect Johnson receive the carries between the tackles. His skill set will play well to the Jaguars’ zone-blocking scheme (similar to the fit of Taliaferro in the Ravens’ offense) which emphasizes strong runners who can take advantage of gaps opening in the line. With the season quickly slipping away for Jacksonville and Johnson’s friend and longtime teammate taking the reins at quarterback, management may expedite the youth movement at the running back position soon as well.

Though Johnson was squarely on the dynasty radar in the preseason, he was frequently a late-third or early-fourth round pick and lost some steam after rookie drafts as players like John Brown and Allen Hurns gained momentum. The consensus ranking among DLF staffers in the preseason for Johnson was as the thirteenth rookie (including being listed as high as second) and #60 overall running back. In August mock drafts, Johnson was selected as the #179th player overall at the end of the fifteenth round. Johnson doesn’t have elite talent, but was selected by the current regime (albeit as a late pick), is a stronger scheme fit than Todman or Robinson and represents a change for a sputtering team. His opportunity is entirely dependent upon the health and production of Gerhart (neither of which have been impressive) and at the very least we can expect the veteran’s workload to be lessened in hopes of increasing his longevity.

In short, Johnson should get an opportunity sooner rather than later.

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jaron foster
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