Zion Johnson needed to learn for the experiment to work.
And learn fast.
He was 15, entering his junior year at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Md., when he first took up organized football. The golfer and computer gamer knew more about bunkers than he did B-gaps, more about end tasks than end/tackle stunts.
He had catching up to do.
That is how Keith McIver, the school’s then-offensive line coach, found him. Johnson gravitated to McIver before, during and after practices, impressing with his willingness and capacity to learn. McIver recalls an early practice when the offense rehearsed a play against air — no defense was on the field. The rep ended with Johnson curiously lying on the field.
“I’m very frustrated,” McIver said. “I’m screaming, like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you on the ground?’ He told me, ‘Coach, on this screen, I cut the defensive end, so I was doing the movement I need to do to cut the defensive end.’ That was one eye-opening moment where I realized he is doing exactly what he is supposed to do.”
In 2015, Johnson was an uninitiated and undersized 225-pound tackle. Last month, at 312 pounds, he dominated the 225-pound bench press at the NFL combine, completing 32 reps despite long 34-inch arms. The guard/center prospect from Boston College is expected to draw consideration from the Cowboys if available Thursday with the No. 24 overall draft pick.
Left guard was considered a roster weakness last year, and that was before Connor Williams departed in free agency. Johnson could step in immediately as a rookie while helping fortify the center position as needed in the years to come.
The bench press does not capture Johnson’s greatest strength.
His mind.
Johnson, who owns a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s in cybersecurity policy and governance, has proved a diligent learner. He put in extra time with McIver and the coaches who followed across two seasons at Davidson and three at Boston College.
“There is so much to learn about football,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “In the college game, there is not a lot of people that know a lot about football. As an offensive lineman, there’s a lot of things you can learn that aren’t coached at a lot of places, like understanding coverages, understanding safety rotation, even if you’re not the center, understanding tendencies in a guy’s stance.
“Once you understand where a defense is going, understand what they’re trying to do, you put yourself in the best spot in order to block them up.”
His football experiment began on the sideline.
There, Johnson stood and watched for most of his junior season, impressing McIver with his studious approach. By midseason, McIver was telling other Riverdale Baptist coaches that Johnson was ready to start over a returning starter on the line.
The decision was made to keep Johnson developing as a reserve.
In the season finale, Johnson finally started at right tackle. The film he produced from that game, in conjunction with his performance at an offseason camp, brought Davidson to offer him an opportunity on a partial academic scholarship.
McIver called Johnson “hands down” the most coachable player he’s had in 43 seasons.
“He is definitely the one person I would use as an example of how to learn and how to be the best in anything, not just football,” McIver said. “He would be that example.”
In college, the fast-paced learning continued.
Two years at Davidson featured two different coaching staffs and two entirely different offenses. At Boston College, the first two of his three years involved two different staffs and offenses. The stylistic changes gave Johnson more opportunities to sharpen his mental edge.
Last season, as one example, he personally studied NC State defensive tackle Corey Durden, a transfer from Florida State. Durden recorded 11/2 sacks a couple of games earlier against Clemson. Johnson analyzed Durden’s secondary moves from his bull rush.
“He loved to bull rush and then try to pull and swim one direction or pull and then disengage inside or rip inside,” Johnson said. “He loved to push-pull. In watching the film, I saw that. I saw that was his go-to move. So in the game, every time he would bull rush, I could feel whether his weight was really pressing into me, or was he trying to snatch me and swim over the top or rip off?
“Knowing that, knowing that was one of his go-to [moves], it really changed how I would sit on his bull rush.”
Johnson could be the first interior offensive lineman drafted Thursday, perhaps before the Cowboys’ assigned No. 24 pick.
The New England Patriots, at No. 21, are a team to watch. Johnson’s mental acumen was displayed in February at the Senior Bowl, where he arrived as the top guard prospect and showed throughout the week in Mobile, Ala., that he could play center, too. Such flexibility fits the Patriots’ archetype.
Johnson’s mother is his backbone. She raised him as a single parent, inspiring him with her work ethic and convincing him that he should try out for football. Living in Bowie, Md., she also happens to be a devout Cowboys fan.
Johnson identified Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith as one of his favorite players to observe. Smith is one reason Johnson has worn No. 77 throughout his football career.
If Dallas drafts him, Johnson probably would start at left guard, directly beside him.
“I would just have tons of questions to ask,” Johnson said. “I would want to know about his routine, his work ethic. Clearly, when you watch somebody and you can tell they are different, you want to know what makes them different. What is that you do that has made you the person you are today?”
The learning does not stop.
Top interior O-line draft prospects
Zion Johnson, G/C, Boston College — Savvy blocker who creates a strong anchor in pass protection. Background in computers, gaming may invite Travis Frederick comparisons.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa — Short arms could restrict him to center and show up at inopportune times. But that may be nitpicking a tremendous athlete with a wrestling background.
Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M — Top prospect pedigree out of Humble, TX, who kept imposing himself at the college level. Very physical. Started everywhere but center in 2021.
