Offensive Guard/Offensive Tackle 

Alabama

6-6 312

40 time: 5.37

Draft board overall prospect rank: #51

Draft board overall offensive guard rank: #2

Overall rating: 78*

1/19/10: He probably wouldn’t be a top 10 tackle without his ability to play guard, but he’s an amazing run blocker. He blocked for Glen Coffee in 2008 and Mark Ingram in 2009. He’s not a big mauling run blocker, but his technique is amazing and he should be drafted in the 2^nd or maybe 3^rd round as a right tackle or right guard.

            10/2/09: Mike Johnson is a mauling offensive lineman who has experience playing guard and both tackle positions for Alabama’s strong offensive front. He projects best as a guard in the NFL, which limits his stock some, but I wouldn’t count out Johnson as a future right tackle in the NFL. Even as a guard, he’s the best pure guard in the draft class and that could get him drafted in the 2^nd round. He was a huge part of the reason why Alabama ran so well last year in 2008, the other part being Andre Smith, who was drafted 6^th overall by the Bengals. Even this year, without top running back Glen Coffee and top offensive lineman Andre Smith, Alabama runs extremely well against tough SEC opponents and Johnson is a huge part of that. He is the leader of the offensive line and plays very smart, reacting well to blitzes. He has the size to handle some of the big defensive tackles in the NFL. He plays a lot bigger than the 310 pounds he’s listed at and is in great shape. His hand placement and his footwork are both excellent and he’s extremely explosive in his initial push. He’s an excellent run blocker, but his pass protection needs some work. His doesn’t move his feet well to pick rushers coming from the outside and can get blown past by speed rushers. He’s not athletic and quick enough to play in a zone blocking scheme that requires a lot of moving around, even by guards. He certainly can’t play tackle in a zone blocking scheme and would not be best utilized as a guard in a zone blocking scheme because he doesn’t move well, though he could play guard in a zone scheme if he had it. He’s best fit in a man blocking scheme where he can use his amazing upper body strength and giant hands to push back defensive linemen. He’s very smart and takes good angles on secondary blocks down field. He’ll probably be the first guard taken in the 2010 NFL draft, both because he’s the best guard and also because he can play some tackle and that puts him somewhere around the 2^nd or 3^rd round based on history.

NFL Comparison: Justin Smiley 

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here