Jermaine Johnson II could give Cleveland Browns heir to Jadeveon Clowney in 2022 NFL Draft

Editor's note: Jermaine Johnson II was picked by the New York Jets in the first round (No. 26 overall) of the NFL Draft on April 28

When Jermaine Johnson II listed his favorite pass rushers last week during the NFL Scouting Combine, the Florida State University standout mentioned Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett first.

“Myles Garrett and Khalil Mack. I like Aaron Donald as well,” Johnson said. “People fear them, and that's what I want to be at the next level. I want to be feared.”

Well, Johnson joining forces with Garrett could be really scary for opposing offenses.

“That would be a pretty tough combination to block,” Florida State special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach John Papuchis said Thursday during a phone interview with the Beacon Journal.

Johnson would be a logical target for the Browns in the first round of the April 28-30 NFL Draft if he were still available when they're scheduled to go on the clock at No. 13 overall, though it's far from certain he will fall out of the top-10 picks, the range in which many draft analysts project him to be chosen.

“I think I'm the best defender in this draft, to be quite honest,” Johnson said.

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As the Browns attempt to rebound from the disappointment of an 8-9 record last season, wide receiver and defensive end are their most pressing needs and the positions the franchise is likeliest to address with its top pick.

Papuchis said he has no reservations about telling NFL teams they should invest heavily in Johnson.

“He's a hard worker, a good teammate, a determined and focused guy with big goals and dreams,” Papuchis said. “He's a guy who shows up to try to get those big goals and dreams accomplished every day.

“He is a details guy, so he is constantly looking for ways he can be better, and he's an energy guy. He provides leadership and tries to coach the younger guys. He's invested not only obviously in his personal development, but he's also invested in trying to help other guys bring their game up.”

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Whether the Browns select an edge defender in the opening round next month could be influenced to some degree by free agency.

Three-time Pro Bowl end Jadeveon Clowney headlines the list of Browns players scheduled to hit the open market when free agency officially kicks off at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Although the Browns want to re-sign Clowney and he has said he's open to returning, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Houston Texans also stated Jan. 9 the money must be right for him to come back. He's expected to field offers from other teams and seek a monster payday coming off a nine-sack, 14-game resurgence.

Clowney, 29, hadn't tallied that many sacks or played that many games since 2018, but he overcame his extensive injury history and excelled for a season in Cleveland.

“[He] adopted a new approach to his body. I think that helps his cause going into free agency,” Ben Fairchild, Clowney's Houston-based sports performance manager since the 2021 offseason, told the Beacon Journal last month. “If it were just that he kind of got lucky and survived a season, that narrative maybe doesn't inspire as much confidence in a long-term deal.

“But the fact that he could be staring at a three- or four-year deal here with some pretty significant oomph to it annually, that's just incredible to me. It's incredibly exciting to know that it could be attached to the narrative that he's adopted a new way of approaching this and managing his machine, so to speak.”

Simply put, Clowney and his camp know the upcoming signing period is a golden opportunity. And he'll likely be able to secure a more lucrative deal from a team other than the Browns because General Manager Andrew Berry showed last offseason he wasn't inclined to spend top-of-market money for a starter opposite Garrett.

Instead of breaking the bank on the likes of Trey Hendrickson, Carl Lawson, Bud Dupree or Matthew Judon, Berry signed Takk McKinley to a one-year, $4.25 million contract at the start of free agency and Clowney to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million with incentives a month after the market opened in mid-April. Clowney received that contract on the heels of a zero-sack, eight-game season with the Tennessee Titans and knee surgery.

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As for McKinley, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon Dec. 20 in a 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. McKinley's devastating setback and Clowney's contractual situation have combined to heighten the need for reinforcements opposite Garrett.

In other words, even if Clowney falls short of the blockbuster deal he wants in free agency and ultimately circles back to the Browns at a less expensive rate than he hopes, the organization would still need another D-end because McKinley won't be under contract and will miss most, if not all, of next season.

If the Browns were to draft a defensive end in the first round, Cleveland would be positioned to pair the incoming rookie and Garrett together for the next five seasons. Garrett, 26, signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in July 2020, and he's scheduled to be under contract through 2026.

Johnson would welcome the chance to wreak havoc with Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017.

“[Opponents are] going to put [No.] 95 on the board and say, 'OK, this is how we're going to try to attack him this weekend,'” Johnson said. “That's how much of a problem I want to be for offenses, if not more.

"That'd be awesome [to play with Garrett]. You guys saw what he did his first few years in the league. He left his mark, and he still is leaving his mark. To sit under a guy like that and learn from him, soak up knowledge, that'd be awesome."

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Berry broke a couple of his perceived analytics-based rules by trading up and drafting a linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, in the second round of last year's draft and then jokingly asked reporters afterward if he were experiencing “a fever dream” or reality.

Could Johnson compel Berry to stray from another trend?

Johnson turned 23 on Jan. 7. In Berry's two years as a GM, the ages of the players he has picked have ranged from 20 to 22 at the time of the draft. Both of his first-round picks, cornerback Greg Newsome II (26th overall last year) and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (10th overall in 2020), were 20 when they were selected.

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Johnson's age is indicative of his journey to the NFL.

With a grade-point average of 1.9 at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota, Johnson didn't receive Division I scholarship offers and took the junior college route.

“There were times my faith was tested,” he said.

But Johnson became a coveted recruit at Independence Community College in Kansas, where the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U” featured his story.

“It was cool to be a part of it because now I can just go log in on Netflix and remember what I went though,” he said. “... I wouldn't be the man or player I am today without that journey.”

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After 18 months at Independence, Johnson moved on to the University of Georgia, where he appeared in 21 games with four starts in two seasons and compiled 36 tackles, with eight for loss and 7½ sacks, 24 pressures, a forced fumble and two pass breakups.

Seeking a bigger role, Johnson transferred to Florida State and thrived last season, his only one with the program.

“Jermaine realized last year was going to be his last opportunity to put himself in the position that he wanted to be in for the rest of his career,” Papuchis said, “and he maximized every day.”

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Johnson became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an Associated Press second-team All American. He started all 12 games and compiled 70 tackles, with 18 for loss and 12 sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery, 12 hurries and two pass breakups.

“He's one of the best that I've ever had the opportunity to be around from a defensive end standpoint of playing the run,” Papuchis said. “He's able to be very physical at the point of attack, but he also does a great job of chasing and running after the ball. He takes a lot of pride in how he plays the run.

“He's very, very active with his hands [as a pass rusher]. He has the ability to transition from speed to power in his rushes very fluidly. He always has a plan in mind in how he's going to attack, and he's able to transition back and forth from speed to power and at times from power to speed. I think that keeps tackles off balance.”

Johnson pointed out he's fighting a one-year wonder label in the pre-draft process. ProFootballFocus.com's draft guide listed his background as a “nondescript part-time player at Georgia prior to 2021” on the negative side of its pros and cons for Johnson.

“That's a question mark,” he conceded, “but I think if I had the same snaps before, I would've done the same thing [I did in 2021].”

Johnson logged 736 snaps last season at Florida State compared with 189 in 2020 and 214 in 2019 at Georgia, according to PFF.

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Johnson also said there's a “stigma” attached to him because he switched from the SEC to the ACC.

“Weaker competition,” he noted.

Because of those knocks, Johnson explained he went to the Senior Bowl last month on a mission to make a statement in front of NFL talent evaluators.

“It was no question in my mind that he was the best defensive lineman there,” said Papuchis, who watched his star pupil in person during Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama. “I think he believed that, and he went there with a mindset that he was going to prove that.”

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At Florida State, Johnson alternated between a three-point stance and a standing position. He also lined up at both end spots. He has experience in 4-3 and 3-4 base defenses.

“As long as I'm outside that [offensive] tackle,” he said, “I think I can be a headache for offenses.

“I do everything exceptionally well. I play the run as well as I play the pass. Nobody in this [draft] class does that like I do.”

Johnson measured 6 feet, 4⅝ inches and weighed 254 pounds at the combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in an official time of 4.58 seconds, tying for seventh among 20 participating edge defenders. He posted a height of 32 inches in the vertical jump (placing 17th among 22 edge defenders) and a distance of 10 feet, 5 inches in the broad jump (tying for fourth among 22). He didn't bench press but said he would March 29 during Florida State's pro day.

More importantly, Johnson is eager to back it all up on the field at the next level.

“I'm vicious. I'm physical,” he said. “I'll be on you the entire game.”

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns may view Jermaine Johnson as heir to Jadeveon Clowney