NCAA Scouting - Player Profile:
Chris Johnson, RB
by Sam Monson
3/3/2008
 
The 2008 running back class is a deep one. There are a lot of quality players to be had at the position, and whatever your offense, you can find that piece of the puzzle that will fit in and do what you want in the running game. There are big guys, small guys, nifty guys, tough guys, strong guys, and fast guys. None are faster than Eastern Carolina's Chris Johnson. Johnson wowed scouts at the Indianapolis Scouting Combine with a time of 4.24, the fastest time by any of the running backs, the fastest time of the 2008 Combine, and the fastest official time ever recorded at the Combine. That means he has serious wheels.
 
Coming out of Olympia High School, Johnson wasn't a decorated recruit, and eventually landed at East Carolina University, where he made an immediate impact as a kick returner. He was initially played at wide receiver for the Pirates, and this experience has left him with great hands for a running back.
 
Johnson has enough negatives that he has fallen down the list, largely due to the strength of the declaring junior class of running backs (Johnson is the consensus top senior), but his upside is undeniable, and somebody is going to get an immediate impact player when they draft this kid. With speed to burn, return skills, and receiver quality hands, somebody has to make use of this kid's abilities.
 
What we like about Johnson
 
4.24! Chris Johnson was expected to run fast at the combine, and Mike Mayock had him tipped to be the fastest running back there, and it's a fast running back class, but nobody saw that time coming. With a 4.24, Chris Johnson set a new official record time of the Scouting Combine, and will be the fastest man in the NFL as soon as he's drafted. Johnson can fly around the corner, and when he gets some running room he is simply gone. If Adrian Peterson can run away from defenders having clocked a 4.40 at the combine, think what Johnson can do with his 4.24 once he hits the open field. Johnson also brings immediate impact as a return man; scouts will love the versatility that he brings in the receiving game.
 
Question marks about Johnson
 
Johnson weighs less than 200lbs, and has shown a real reluctance to run between the tackles. Think Reggie Bush kind of allergy. Johnson actually passes up big holes on the inside to try and bounce it outside and go the distance. That may work if you're Barry Sanders, but there aren't too many players in the NFL who have ever been able to get away with ignoring a big running lane when it appears. Johnson's unlikely to be one, but he does have Reggie Bush well and truly beaten for speed.
 
Highlight of his college career
 
Johnson's final game for ECU saw the Pirates edge Boise St in a close encounter. Johnson rushed for 223 yards and a TD on 28 attempts, adding another TD and 32 yards receiving, and a further 153 yards in the return game to set an NCAA record of 408 all-purpose yards.
 
Other snippets

• Did we mention he ran a 4.24 for his 40 yard dash at the Combine?

• Johnson led the nation in all-purpose yardage in 2007.

• He has been timed at 10.38 in the 100-meter sprint and ran the anchor leg on the fastest 4x100 relay team in the nation during High School.

• Chris Johnson reminds many of Jerious Norwood, or even Michael Bennett from his 1,200 yard days.

• Potential good fits: Anybody in need of a playmaker. Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos.

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