Run Defense And Added Extras
One of the biggest – if not the biggest – concern with CGJ going into the 2018 was his tackling, and for good reason:
To be fair to CGJ, he made significant improvement in this regard in 2018, and while he is still not an elite tackler, he is at least decent:
In terms of making further improvement in this regard, the biggest issue with CGJ’s tackling is that he tends to dive headfirst into tackles going for the feet, and while that sometimes leads to some impressive plays:
It also leads to some misses:
The team that drafts him, therefore, will want to work on getting him to stay on his feet going into tackles and looks to wrap up rather than go for the ankles. Apart from his tackling, he actually showed a lot of nice things as a run defender, working off blocks effectively:
And showing the discipline to work the ball carrier towards his help:
As illogical as it might sound, the biggest way in which CGJ can improve as a run defender, especially when it comes to defending the run from the deep middle, is by slowing down slightly. This is something that has been said about Thomas Davis’ career in retrospect, as by playing a little less quickly, he was able to play with a slightly greater degree of control – thereby decreasing the number of missed tackles.
The final thing that he offers a prospective team, and something the Panthers have made use of in the past, is his ability to blitz off the edge, both against the pass:
As well as against the run:
Gardner-Johnson isn’t a perfect player – his man coverage isn’t terrible but it isn’t amazing either – and his run defense needs to continue to improve, but what he does well is extremely valuable. He has exceptional range, processes plays extremely well, takes great angles to the ball and has the ball skills to make the most of the opportunities he’s given. It would probably be a bit of a reach for the Panthers to take him at 16, but if he is still on the board at 47, the Panthers should practically be jumping up-and-down with joy as they hand the card in.
Grade: High Second Round
Best-Case NFL Comparison: Earl Thomas
