Taron Johnson
_(cropped).jpg) Johnson with the Buffalo Bills in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 – Buffalo Bills | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | July 27, 1996 Sacramento, California | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Sheldon (Sacramento, California) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Weber State | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / round: 4 / pick: 121 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
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Taron Johnson (born July 27, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Weber State.[1] He played high school football at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, California.[2]
Early years
Johnson played high school football at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, California. He was pulled up to the school’s varsity squad as a sophomore, one year earlier than the standard, owing to his exceptional talent. He would go on to be the school’s first ever NFL Draft pick.[2]
College career
Coming out of high school, Weber State was the only college that offered Johnson a football position, so he accepted it.[2]
Johnson started five games as a freshman at Weber State, and was a full-time starter thereafter. As a sophomore, he set a school record with 12 pass break-ups, and then tied the record the following season as a junior. As a senior in 2017, he totaled three interceptions, nine pass break-ups, and 49 tackles, earning the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year award[3] and consensus First Time All-American honors.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄8 in (1.81 m) |
192 lb (87 kg) |
30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.50 s | 4.28 s | 7.03 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
17 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
Johnson was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 121st overall pick.[6] On May 11, 2018, he signed his rookie contract.[7] Against the Green Bay Packers in week 4, Johnson recorded his first career sack and forced fumble, taking down quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a strip-sack.[8] Johnson recorded his first career interception the following week against the Tennessee Titans, picking off Marcus Mariota in the 13–12 victory.[9] He was placed on injured reserve on December 11, 2018 after undergoing shoulder surgery.[10]
Johnson is currently the Bills' starting nickel cornerback.[11]
In Week 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, Johnson intercepted a pass thrown by Ben Roethlisberger and returned it for a 51-yard touchdown during the 26–15 win.[12]
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, Johnson intercepted a pass thrown by Lamar Jackson in the Bills' endzone and returned it for a 101-yard pick six during the 17–3 win.[13] This return tied the longest in NFL playoff history with George Teague.
On October 9, 2021, Johnson signed a three-year, $24 million contract extension with the Bills.[14]
References
- ^ Davidson, Joe (January 24, 2018). "Sheldon's first NFL draft pick? Why he thinks he has a chance to prove doubters wrong". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738.
- ^ a b c "Taron Johnson becomes Sheldon's first NFL draft pick. Why his new team was a surprise". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ Hein, Brett. "Weber State football: Taron Johnson named Big Sky defensive player of the year". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Weber State 2017 Football Roster - Taron Johnson". Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ "Taron Johnson Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Maiorana, Sal (April 28, 2018). "5 things to know about Buffalo Bills pick Taron Johnson". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
- ^ Brown, Chris (May 11, 2018). "Bills sign fourth-round pick Johnson". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018.
- ^ Turner, Erik (October 4, 2018). "Bills' Young Secondary Tested". Cover1.net.
- ^ Filipowski, Nick (October 7, 2018). "Returning to form: Bills defense forces three turnovers in win over Titans". WIVB-TV.
- ^ Brown, Chris (December 11, 2018). "Bills place Matt Milano, Taron Johnson on I-R". BuffaloBills.com.
- ^ Skurski, Jay (August 28, 2020). "Taron Johnson's 'dog' mentality gives Bills' secondary some bite". The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "Divisional Round - Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills - January 16th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Chris (October 9, 2021). "Bills sign CB Taron Johnson to a three-year contract extension". BuffaloBills.com.