Chicago Bears select Roschon Johnson in fourth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Texas Longhorns running back Roschon Johnson has been selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Roschon Johnson was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. However, during his time at Texas, he was often overshadowed by Bijan Robinson.

Still, Johnson was a key piece of the Texas offense. He gave the Longhorns a legitimate threat when Robinson wasn’t on the field and likely would have been a dominant running back on another team where he had the chance to be the primary back. Still, Johnson ran for 2,190 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. He even averaged six yards per carry in 2022.

At the NFL Combine, Roschon Johnson ran a 4.58 40-yard dash. However, he broke his hand during the Senior Bowl. Prior to that, Mel Kiper listed him as one of the 10 best running backs available in the NFL Draft.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Roschon Johnson

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote a breakdown of what Roschon Johnson is going to offer once he gets to the next level.

A physical runner, Roschon Johnson has always proved to be a dependable running back throughout his career. That physicality helps him in several key areas. That includes breaking tackles, short yardage runs, pass protection, and turnovers. On top of all that, he has been a willing special teams player.

Like any player, there are knocks on Johnson too. In particular, his acceleration probably isn’t good enough to break runs to the next level. He plays slower than he tests and this can hurt his game. He cuts slowly and he really isn’t creative in between tackles. Instead, he takes on contact and tries to play like a bulldozer.

“Power back with bruising frame who fits the football cliche of “tough, smart and dependable.” Johnson isn’t overly creative and lacks the juice to hit quick-closing NFL holes. He needs it blocked up so he can get downhill and uncork his power on the second level,” Zierlein wrote.

“While his lack of suddenness makes him somewhat limited as a runner, he will be better at stuffing blitzers than many of the No. 3 backs currently in the league. Johnson might be fighting off competition every year in camp, but his toughness and four-phase special teams value could give him an advantage.”