1. (24) Chris Johnson, RB
You would think that the Titans would have learned their lesson last season when they took Chris Henry way too early based on his workout times. But they didn’t and they took Johnson despite having better running backs still on the board. Johnson is 5′10″, 198 pounds and he runs a 4.32 40! Johnson still has the look of a third down back as he doesn’t run hard when he goes up the middle. Johnson played in 47 games (36 starts) at East Carolina and he carried the ball 624 times for 2,982 yards (4.8 ypc) with 32 TD runs. He also has caught 125 passes for 1,296 yards (10.4 avg) with 10 TD grabs. Picking Johnson was a big reach for the Titans.
Not sure where some info came from, but CJ was clocked twice UNDER 4.3 in the 40, his best was 4.24. Also, go on Youtube and type his name in. There is a video called “this is what a 4.24 forty looks like”…watch it and tell me he doesn’t run hard up the middle. Keep in mind he also gives the Titans what Pac did…field position and a short field on special teams!
Lastly, think ‘Dinger…think matchups (or mismatches)…there is no team out there that can match up with CJ in the backfield OR the slot via motion or formation. Initially I was very disturbed with the pick, but now it makes more sense than any other pick could have. This is stretching it, but think Faulk & LT.
Lastly, he played at East Carolina. They play a tough schedule against ranked D-1 opponents. So he runs behind a good line, but the O-line is outclassed by superior athletic defenses of opposing teams!
How does running a fast 40 equate to running hard up the middle? Johnson has only had 1 good year in college so only time will tell if he will be a solid NFL player or not.