Kerryon Johnson Is A Powerful Runner
Kerryon Johnson consistently displays good power and leg drive through contact. He does a good job of maintaining balance through arm tackles but, even when a defender gets him squared up, he shows the ability to power forward for yards after contact.
The play below is against a very good Alabama defense, the closest thing you can face to an NFL caliber defense in college football. He doesn’t get the touchdown, but he powers forward for about three extra yards through the heart of Alabama’s defense. As I pointed out in the section above, watch how Kerryon Johnson shows patience behind the line of scrimmage but maintains his forward momentum. When he finds the lane he likes, he attacks aggressively and is able to convert his power, leg drive, and good pad level into extra yards.
Kerryon Johnson is frequently the aggressor in contact situations. He doesn’t wait to get hit by the defender. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He runs violently and attacks the defender, often catching players on their heels and allowing Johnson to power over them for extra yards.
On the play below, Kerryon Johnson waits for his blocking to develop, finds a running lane and bursts through the line of scrimmage. When he gets through the line, there isn’t a lot of space to maneuver so, rather than dancing or taking punishment from the defense, Kerryon Johnson takes initiative and attacks the defender. He shows off his excellent balance and maintains his footing through the contact and spins forward for extra yards. This play is a perfect example of how his aggressive running style helps him in tight spaces.
Kerryon Johnson has a nice stiff arm that helps him gain extra yards when working to the sideline. He can use it to gain extra yards on the path to the sideline or can use it to throw off defenders completely. In the play below, watch Kerryon Johnson stiff arm two defenders to the ground. The second one is future first-round draft pick, Roquan Smith. He doesn’t end up gaining a lot of yards here, but this is something that Kerryon Johnson shows with regularity along the sideline. With a little more space to the sideline, Kerryon Johnson could have picked up significantly more yardage.
