It was easy to overlook cornerback Anthony Johnson. The former Virginia standout didn’t arrive with as much fanfare as other New Orleans Saints undrafted free agents, but the team was thrilled to sign him after the 2023 draft — NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Johnson received a whopping $231,000 in guarantees, second-most of the Saints rookie free agent class. Only Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive lineman Mark Evans had a larger portion of his rookie deal guaranteed at signing ($241,000).
That’s impressive, but Johnson is an impressive prospect. He played often at Louisville from 2018 to 2020 before transferring to Virginia for a larger role on defense in 2021, and the move paid off: he intercepted 5 passes and logged 15 pass breakups in two years with the Cavaliers. He was named first-team All-ACC last year, too.
He’s totaled more than 2,000 defensive snaps at cornerback in his college career while recording 328 reps on special teams, mostly with the punt return and field goal blocking squads. And he’s got great size for the NFL at 6-foot-1.5 and 205 pounds, with 32.6-inch arms though his overall athletic profile is lacking.
Johnson’s athletic limitations weren’t much of a problem at the Senior Bowl practices, and he impressed Saints senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta at Virginia’s pro day, who conducted drills for the defensive backs in front of scouts and other coaches. Johnson won a trip to Ben & Jerry’s from Giunta by not dropping any passes in that workout, and that relationship (as well as the heavy contract guarantees) may have helped the Saints ultimately recruit him.
It’s a good sign for his chances of making the cut that the Saints already waived cornerback Vincent Gray, who spent the entire 2022 season on their practice squad. Johnson’s contract guarantees should at least lock him in to the practice squad, but if he can be an asset on special teams while competing hard on defense through the summer and preseason, he just might make the 53-man roster.
