The Philadelphia Eagles and new coach Chip Kelly, selected Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson at NFL Draft. While he may have not carried the same name brand notoriety as other tackles Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel, “I was predicted third after the season”, he carries unparalleled versatility.
Believe it or not the 6’6″, 302 pound tackle actually began his collegiate football career as a quarterback while at Kilgore Community College. Johnson actually had ties before ever entering the treacherous NFC East.
“Probably Jason Pierre-Paul,” Johnson said when asked who he is most excited to go against.
“I actually played against him my first game when I was at Kilgore Junior College playing quarterback and he was a guy playing for Fort Scott and nobody really knew that much about him. I remember I was just doing the scouting report and seeing a 6’6”, 280-pound d-end and nobody knew about him and then when he got on the field and started doing backflips we kinda knew what he was about.”
It’s uncommon for a college quarterback who also flirted with playing tight end to evolve into a strong talent at the offensive line position yet between his hard work and dedication, Johnson proved it possible.
“We were always trying to find the best spot for Lane. He went from tight end to d-end to o-line, so we knew even before that [when Jarvis Jones was injured two springs ago] it was a possibility, and again, the reason we always were looking was because we appreciated how hard he worked, and he wanted to get him on the field,” said Johnson’s college coach Bob Stoops.
“While it took a while to find the right position for him to maximize his athletic potential, I have no doubt that he has a huge upside and will only get better with more experience playing tackle,” said the Sooners coach. “It doesn’t surprise anyone on our staff that Lane was a high first-round selection. Lane worked relentlessly from the moment he stepped on campus and took advantage of every avenue to improve during his time with us.”
After leaving Kilgore and redshirting his first year at Oklahoma, worked his way into the starting lineup his junior year and after a strong senior season had scouts believing he was a talent worth molding.
“Moving forward I think my best football is ahead of me,” Johnson said. “Moving forward I think my best football is ahead of me. I think I have come nowhere close to reaching my potential and I think the next few years will be very exciting.”
Ever confident, Johnson also proved to keep his cool during the tense and chaotic draft process.
Once Fisher and Joeckel went with the first two picks and Miami, now sans-Jake Long, traded up to the third overall pick, Johnson admitted being nervous.
“I had a really good vibe coming into the draft and when Miami was on the clock I was kinda nervous,” Johnson said.”I didn’t know if I was going there or what but when Philly came on the clock I had a feeling I was going there.”
Now in the NFC East, Johnson has been plunged into a gritty division that has vicious rivalries with each opponent and didn’t waste any time making enemies. When asked if he knew anything about the history of the division. Johnson just smiled low under the brim of his hat and with his big Texas accent said in a room filled with New York reporters “Well, I know the Eagles have the best fans.”
Jeers from local media aside, Johnson has continued to keep his motivation strong. Insisting his road to greatness has not ended with being drafted. Rather only begun.
“I’m honored to be a part of this team and this organization,” Johnson said. “I think I’ve put the most pressure on myself. I wanna be a great player and I’ll do whatever it takes to reach that goal.”
And does that mean playing only tackle?
“You never know. I actually think we talked about that a little bit. Maybe doing some tackle eligible plays or something like that.”
