Philadelphia Eagles draft buzz: An exclusive sitdown with Patrick Johnson

ITI had the chance to interview one of our favorite prospects. Tulane edge Patrick Johnson could be the next T.J. Watt in due time. He won’t get the same recognition that Watt received coming out of a Big Ten school but his performance on the field speaks for itself. Here’s the type of guy that will give the Philadelphia Eagles 110 percent in games, on the practice field, and in the film room.

Now, we all know that the Birds don’t run a 3-4 defensive scheme, they could use more guys like him in the building. He’s versatile, so he’s not limited to just being an edge rusher in a 3-4.

The six-foot-three, 255-pound edge rusher is the definition of physicality. His ability to rush straight through offensive lineman will translate to the next level because of how technically sound he is with his hands.

It’s one thing to overpower an opponent with sheer strength, but it’s another to counter each move an offensive lineman makes the way Johnson does. It’s why he posted 21 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles in his last 34 collegiate games.

It’s a pleasure to watch the Tulane product dominant offensive lineman every week. Johnson is also currently training at Brandon Marshall’s House of Athlete in Florida and will participate in Marshall’s combine so fans will get to see his skill on full display.

Philadelphia Eagles fans will love Johnson’s work ethic.

The Ballengee Group made the right move by working with Patrick. They’re getting a top-tier talent in this year’s draft and also a class act off of the field.

Ballengee is certainly on the rise in the sports agency industry. Patrick talked a little bit about why he signed with them and what the draft process has been like with them:

"They play a huge role in connecting me with scouts, teaching me what teams want to see in a player, showing me how to answer questions the correct way, and teaching me how to go about life. For them to have trust in me and to invest in me means a lot. My process with Ballengee was very short. I ended up talking to them late in the process but like I said I saw the trust and belief that they had in me."

Patrick isn’t here just by chance. It took hard work and dedication 24/7 to make it to this point. We asked him about his journey to the NFL Draft going back to his high school days:

"A lot of people don’t understand what it actually takes to get to this level especially if you’re not highly recruited to the top universities. I was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. I barely had two stars. My recruiting process started very late. I’m from Chattanooga, Tennessee. I went to Notre Dame High School and absolutely loved it there. I had amazing coaches who were fully invested into their players and did everything that they could to help us out. I took advantage of every opportunity that I had and worked hard day in and day out. I ended up getting about 13 scholarships most of them from FCS schools. Tulane, FIU, FAU, and Cincinnati were the only FBS schools that ended up offering me. All I’ve known is to work hard and keep things level-headed. That is what has gotten me here to this point."

In his own words, here’s what Johnson brings to the Philadelphia Eagles.

As mentioned earlier, Johnson isn’t just limited to rushing the passer off of the edge. He is easily one of the more versatile players in this year’s draft. Here’s what he had to say about his playstyle what he brings to an NFL team like the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I take a lot of pride in being a very physical player. Coming into college, I played more of a defensive tackle/defensive end type of position before I actually transitioned to the outside linebacker position in my sophomore year. A lot of people just see the sacks. My teammates can vouch for me on this: when I first started the position it wasn’t just because I could rush the passer. That actually came with time. In my first few games [in 2018] I had zero sacks. Then, I went on a streak after that because I am a quick learner. In addition to being a quick learner and physical player, I am also very versatile. In my eyes, I think I am the most versatile player on the field no matter who we are playing against. I can play in coverage, play against the run, rush the passer, and play on special teams. Any team that gets me in the future is going to have their hands full with all the things they can do with me. They’re not going to be disappointed."

Johnson also touched on the significance of film study each week and trying to figure out the tendencies of opposing offensive lineman and offense in general:

"That is most definitely the biggest part of the game. Being in shape, being strong, and being fast is a small part of everything in my eyes. I spend hours worth of film per week studying opponents, studying their tendencies, and learning the snap counts. Anything I can get from film, I am watching it, breaking it down with my defensive line coach, taking notes, and writing out concepts on the board. During the week, my coach is giving out handouts to all of the guys and I’m saying to myself ‘I feel like I’ve seen this before’. I realized that he was giving out the notes that I put on the board for him. That is a huge part of my game that I took a lot of pride in because I knew that it would help me perform at a high-level week in and week out."

Again, the Birds don’t run a 3-4 scheme, but they should absolutely take a look at Patrick Johnson in this year’s draft. It would be a massive mistake if they did not strongly consider bringing him to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Patrick is willing and able to be moved around the defensive formation. He isn’t limited to the outside linebacker spot, so the Philadelphia Eagles’ new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, could have a field day moving him around wherever he needs this young man to be. Johnson’s ability to play special teams alone should earn him a spot on a 53-man roster at the start of the season.

You won’t find that many prospects that are true students of the game. Most of them have strong football IQ. They study film each week, but none of them do it to the extent that Johnson does.

This young man is one of those guys that will put in the extra hours in the film room. That’s the difference between a split second of reaction time on the field. He understands the importance of that split second, and he’s a prime example of the old saying “first one in, last one out”.

Keep an eye on Patrick Johnson as the draft nears. Any NFL team would be lucky to have a player with his talent, IQ, and character. While he might fly under the radar coming out of Tulane, he could be playing on Sundays for a long time.