D.J. Johnson - Carolina Panthers OLB
- No. 80 overall selection | 2023 NFL Draft
When edge rushers began flying off the Carolina Panthers' board on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft, general manager Scott Fitterer started to panic. He knew that someone had to be found, but options were dwindling. What followed was one of many rash trades made by previous regimes that brought almost nothing to the franchise.
The Panthers traded up to No. 80 overall in the draft. That brought some intrigue among the fanbase given the options available at the time. Nobody anticipated the pick to be aging development prospect D.J. Johnson.
To say this raised eyebrows would be an understatement. Johnson spent six years in college at Miami and Oregon, initially as a tight end before converting to a defensive asset. Most analysts tabbed him as a late-round selection or perhaps even going undrafted. The shock was evident when he got a third-round allocation by the desperate Panthers.
Johnson was as advertised. There have been flashes against the run throughout his two-year stint in Carolina. However, the complications generating pressure consistently when called upon are there for all to see.
The edge presence lacks the explosiveness needed to be effective against NFL-caliber offensive linemen. Carolina was forced to give him significant reps in 2024 thanks in no small part to injuries and a lack of talent. He did nothing to suggest a profitable career could be in the offing.
Ejiro Evero's defense conceded the most single-season points in NFL history. They gave up more than 3,000 rushing yards at 179.8 per game. Johnson wasn't the only one who failed to meet even modest expectations, but his subpar production is another sign that Fitterer made the wrong call.
Johnson will be 27 years old during his third NFL season in 2025. The Panthers could keep him around to fight for a roster spot, but nothing is guaranteed. Much will also depend on what reinforcements Dan Morgan can acquire to give Carolina's edge-rushing room the boost needed throughout the upcoming recruitment period.
Morgan is running the front-office operation with no sentiment attached — one only has to look at Shaq Thompson's pending departure to see that. If he can find upgrades to the pass-rushing options, Johnson's status becomes increasingly precarious.
While he's cheap with a salary-cap hit of just $1.5 million next season, Johnson is nowhere near the required standard if the Panthers want to enter the NFC South title picture. The decision to trade up to secure his services was bizarre at the time and even more so now.