Zion Johnson (born November 18, 1999) is an American professional football guard for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Davidson Wildcats before transferring to the Boston College Eagles, where he was named an All-American in 2021. Johnson was selected by the Chargers in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
 Johnson at Senior Bowl in 2022 | |||||||
| No. 77 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 18, 1999 Bowie, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 316 lb (143 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) | ||||||
| College: |
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| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 1 / pick: 17 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editJohnson was born on November 18, 1999, and grew up in Bowie, Maryland, before attending Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.[1] Before playing football, Johnson played golf. While in high school and college, he was a pathways intern at the National Institutes of Health.[2]
College career
editJohnson began his collegiate career at Davidson College. He played in all 22 of the Wildcats' games with 19 starts over two seasons and was named first team All-Pioneer Football League as a sophomore. Johnson transferred to Boston College following his sophomore year.[1] Johnson said "Boston College for me was a no-brainer" and that he chose it because the school was renowned academically.[3]
Johnson started seven games at left guard in his first season at Boston College and was named second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after he was named the conference Offensive Lineman of the Week three times.[4] He was moved to left tackle before his senior season and was named third team All-ACC after starting all 11 of the Eagles' games.[5] After considering entering the 2021 NFL Draft, Johnson decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Boston College for a fifth season[6] He moved back to the guard position for his final season and was named first team All-ACC and a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[7]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) |
312 lb (142 kg) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) |
5.18 s | 1.74 s | 2.97 s | 4.46 s | 7.38 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
32 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Johnson was selected in the first round with the 17th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2022 NFL draft.[10] He was named the Chargers starting right guard as a rookie, starting all 17 games. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[11]
In his second season, he was moved to left guard, his natural position in college.
References
edit- ^ a b Thompson, Rich (October 29, 2019). "Guard Zion Johnson making an impact on Boston College's offensive line". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Garnett, Carla (August 5, 2022). "Former Intern Graduates to Pro Gridiron Career". NIH Record. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Mike (February 22, 2022). "Boston College's Zion Johnson making most of NFL draft process". BVM Sports. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Black, A.J. (August 7, 2020). "Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Offensive Lineman Zion Johnson". SI.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Backstrom, Andy (December 27, 2020). "OL Zion Johnson to Return to BC for 2021 Season". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Calvaruso, Tyler (December 27, 2020). "Boston College OL Zion Johnson announces return for 2021". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Rich (November 30, 2021). "BC OL's Alec Lindstrom, Zion Johnson named All-ACC first team". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Zion Johnson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "Zion Johnson, Boston College, OG, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "Chargers Select Zion Johnson With 17th Pick". Chargers.com. April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.