Nazeeh Johnson: Outstanding Traits in Round 7
Taking a look at the Chiefs' seventh round safety and his athletic traits
By the time the end of the 2022 NFL Draft had arrived, the Kansas City Chiefs had added four defensive backs to their draft haul — easily the most that Brett Veach and company had added in a single draft. That didn’t mean the Chiefs were done, as they selected their fifth of the weekend at pick 259, selecting safety Nazeeh Johnson out of Marshall University.
Johnson was a no-star defensive back from Winchester, Virginia who walked on to Marshall’s football squad in his freshman year. After redshirting his initial campaign, Johnson played in 12 games with 1 start in year one before starting every game — when healthy — for the Marshall defense over the next four seasons. He clearly fit with the “football character” element of the 2022 Chiefs draft.
However, not much was known about Johnson in draft circles, leading to some questions about what he would bring to the Chiefs defense. Today, we’ll look into some of those questions, find out where he fits, why the Chiefs drafted him, and what to expect of Kansas City’s final pick of the draft.
Versatility
When watching Johnson's tape, his versatility becomes immediately apparent. A self-described "corner playing safety", Johnson lined up regularly in the slot – and often in man coverage. The Marshall defense trusted him to man up against some tough, physical slot receiver's, and he was able to hold his own.
Johnson also lined up in more traditional safety deep half and single high alignments. He looked especially comfortable reading half the field and transitioning through route combinations in split-safety alignments, giving him a leg up on the direction the NFL is trending with its safety play.
Johnson also found himself fitting well in the box against condensed alignments. He has a downhill, attacking mindset in these snaps, and isn't afraid to shoot a gap to meet the running back head-on in the hole. This versatility to play all over the back seven of the defense makes Johnson a valuable asset as he develops, as he can fill in just about anywhere in a pinch.
Athleticism
While Johnson has versatility in his arsenal, his athletic gifts are the most tantalizing element of his game. He posted a 4.37s 40 yard dash and a 42.5" vertical leap – elite speed and elite explosion for any position, let alone a 199 pound safety. As a matter of fact, Johnson would have been one of five Tier 1 cBAT testers in the 2022 Draft with his Pro Day numbers.
While testing is nice, seeing it translate to the field is the most important element – and Johnson's explosion definitely does. When filling the alley, Johnson's initial steps toward the gap cover a lot of ground very quickly. He routinely beats the back or the receiver to the outside when filling from deep, and he uses this explosion to slip blocks or close down gaps off the edge against the run when aligned in the box.
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This explosion shows up in Johnson's coverage reps as well. Any natural separation in man coverage gained by the receiver out of the break is swallowed up quickly by Johnson's plant and drive to follow. He swallowed up scramble drills quickly and was able to stay connected to the receiver for 5-7 seconds at the collegiate level, forcing sacks, scrambles, and throwaways.
The explosion also showed up when transitioning to another coverage responsibility in zone coverage. From a standstill, Johnson was easily able to transition to pick up new receivers and blanket them through the zone, giving the previous defender ample time to pursue another responsibility. Quite simply, Johnson’s explosive abilities make coverage easier on him and others.
Johnson also trusts his speed in recovery, and for good reason with a 4.37 40. His aggressive angles can get him behind a vertical route as a deep safety, but his speed allows him to recover to a trail position in coverage, comfortably eliminating the deep route. While that speed may be a bit more normalized at the NFL level, it's a great baseline to have as a deep/slot safety, and should translate well to this level.
Technique
Johnson’s athletic gifts and versatility will play well with Spagnuolo’s defense, but he did fall in the draft for a reason — and it’s largely due to some stiffness, balance, and technique. Johnson has some natural stiffness in his hips that will occasionally show up when trying to pivot or turn rapidly. At the collegiate level, he was able to rely on his athletic traits to close the gap before quarterbacks could take advantage of the separation, but it could get easily punished at the NFL level.
Johnson also plays a bit off-balance when trying to play physical at the line of scrimmage or in press technique. On multiple occasions, I saw receivers able to knock him off base in press or at the top of the route — and not just slightly. Johnson tended to struggle with his balance — and therefore, his coverage — when receivers wanted to play physical with him throughout the route.
Finally, the technique exhibited as a deep safety — especially from single-high alignments — showed some struggles reading out route distributions on the boundary. While he showcased the ability to read out from split-safety alignments, Johnson tended to get fixated on the eyes of the quarterback and would take the bait when the passer was “looking him off”. Good quarterbacks that he saw in his time at Marshall found some success at pinning him to one side of the field with their eyes while they were able to take advantage of a positive matchup on the boundary.
Furthermore, Johnson seemed to struggle to keep/get the defense on the same page when the offense played with tempo. Too often he would rotate late into a bunch or toward a late motion, and he (and other defenders) would end up double or triple-teaming a receiver while another went free. While it’s unknown at those stages whose responsibility it was to pick up the free receiver, the most visible and explosive plays seemed to happen with Johnson deep and the offense moving quickly.
The verdict
At first glance, the selection of Johnson seemed like a flier on a player that could make a significant contribution to special teams. With the turnover in the defensive personnel this offseason, a move in that vein would make a lot of sense. However, as I revisited Johnson’s tape, I kept coming away more intrigued with his versatility and athletic profile — and I saw an even greater avenue towards a contribution on the defensive side of the ball.
Johnson’s versatility certainly fits in with Steve Spagnuolo’s philosophy at safety. Players that can play deep, in the box, and man up in the slot are extremely valuable to his defense. When that versatility is layered with size, explosive athleticism, and straight line speed, it becomes coveted for Spagnuolo. We’ve seen the exotic coverages, blitzes, and late rotations that the Chiefs were willing to run with less athletic safeties in the past several years, so the thought of disguising them later in the snap — or bringing yet another strong blitzer from the slot — has to be very tempting.
The Chiefs have gone down this route before, selecting a super-athletic Conference USA defensive back with a do-it-all background in L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed’s explosiveness and versatility paid immediate dividends and gave Spagnuolo one of his best cornerbacks — partially based off of an elite athletic profile. While it may be an uphill battle for Johnson to replicate what Sneed has done in the NFL, the process is sound and the fit is strong.
Nazeeh Johnson’s elite athletic profile sticks in the NFL at an almost 70% rate. His fit in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense makes perfect sense, as does Dave Toub’s special teams group. He’ll need a lot of progression in his technique, route reading from deep, and communication to really be an impact player for this defense. However, his should-be near-lock status on special teams could afford him that time to grow in Kansas City. That gives me some hope that Johnson will not only stick around, but perhaps even hit his ceiling in this defensive back room — and net the Chiefs another day three draft steal.
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