The University of Miami has long enjoyed their share of great running back come through its doors such as Otis Anderson, Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis. But none of them were as productive as Randy “Duke” Johnson. Johnson leaves Miami as the school’s leading rusher with 3,519 yards, and fourth in rushing touchdowns (26).
Though Johnson was first thought of as a scat back his first couple of seasons in Miami, but carried a lot more in 2014.In his junior season for the Hurricanes, Johnson rushed for 1652 yards and 10 touchdowns on 242 carries. While he showed scouts and coaches more of his versatility in 2014, he still comes with a few questions. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of Johnson.
Strengths
One of Johnson’s greatest strengths is his speed and acceleration once he gets the football. It almost seems as though he gets faster once he gets a few steps on a defender. Johnson is a patient runner that waits for the hole in the line to open up before busting through. He can also elude tacklers with his excellent cuts and bursts of high speed. Johnson is also a great pass catcher out of the backfield as he recorded 69 receptions and four touchdown in his three years at Miami. You can also effectively use him on kick and punt returns. Johnson averaged 31.8 yards on kick returns and ran for two touchdowns during his career.
Weaknesses
There are questions about Johnson’s size (5’9, 206) to be a three-down running back in the NFL. He would likely need to be in a two running back system.
Johnson was injured or banged up during a few games while in college. Teams that have a second running back to also carry the load will be the best fit.
Most college running back struggle with pass protection once they get to the NFL and Johnson was inconsistent at Miami in that area. He will need to be partnered with the right coach to show him the correct technique to be on offense during passing downs.
Johnson is a back that is great once he hits the outside, but that doesn’t happen very often in the NFL. He will need to become more of an inside runner to produce at the next level.
Antwan’s Overview
Johnson has the tools to be in the NFL for over a decade, but there are some risk warnings with him. His skills set is very similar to Reggie Bush and LeSean McCoy, both of which have had very good careers in the league. Teams may have to monitor has carries to avoid injuries during the season. You should expect Johnson’s name to be called somewhere in the early-to-mid second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
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