It may have taken three days and part of the fifth round, but Jamar Johnson became the latest Indiana Hoosier to hear his name called during the NFL Draft.
Johnson was selected with the 164th pick in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos. It marks the eighth year in a row Indiana has had a player drafted and he is the first Hoosier drafted in the fifth round since running back Jordan Howard in 2016. Denver has drafted players from Indiana in the past. Cody Latimer was selected by the Broncos in the 2nd round in 2014. Jammie Kirlew was a 7th rounder in 2010.
Johnson was the second safety Denver selected in the fifth round and now joins Texas' Caden Sterns as a rookie safety in a room that includes Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Sterns was also drafted in the fifth round.
Shortly after Johnson was drafted ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said Johnson needs to become a "more reliable tackler" to take the next step.
"Talented kid... needs to figure out how to become a more consistent tackler to become a really good safety in the NFL," Kiper said.
Heading into the draft, Johnson was pegged as the third best safety in the draft by PFF and the 47th overall prospect.
Rivals national columnist Mike Farrell was one of the experts high on Johnson coming into the draft.
"I really like Jamar Johnson. He does everything. In that defense you can move around. He is a big safety, good tackler and very reliable. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, has good ball skills. When you look at an NFL team, they may look at a guy who can play slot or free. His versatility will be extremely important," Farrell told TheHoosier.com before the draft.
The 2020 campaign was a great one for Johnson, who was named to the First Team All-Big Ten Team, and produced on the field for the Hoosiers.
After spending time as a sophomore at the husky position, Johnson had a breakout season as a junior at safety and helped Indiana record 17 interceptions on the season.
On the season, Johnson recorded 43 total stops, including three-and-a-half for a loss, and notched four interceptions.
He also earned Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Penn State.
In the season opening win over Penn State, Johnson totaled 10 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, an interception and a forced fumble.
This story will be updated.
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
