Roschon Johnson seen with a Bears sweater last year at Texas
Roschon Johnson seen with Bears sweater last year at Texas originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
It was always meant to be for the Bears-Roschon Johnson draft marriage.
Via the Texas Longhorns Twitter account, they spotted Johnson wearing a Bears crewneck sweater while sitting in class last year.
The Bears drafted Johnson in the fourth-round of the most recent NFL draft. And Ryan Poles couldn't believe the Texas running back fell to them on Saturday.
He told Cynthia Frelund during an interview with NFL plus his team did 53 simulations of the draft leading up to the night. None of them had the Bears drafting Johnson or the running back falling to the Bears.
"I absolutely love this player and I love the person even more," Poles said. "You talk about contact, balance, strength, size. We're going to love this guy, especially when we get in December. He's a special guy who can enhance the culture in our locker room, too."
MORE: Ryan Poles has 'no idea' how Roschon Johnson fell in draft
Johnson is a violent running back with a knack for catching out of the backfield and the added résumé point of playing on special teams.
He played four seasons at Texas as Bijan Robinson's understudy. Most believe he could've been a starter at any other university, considering Robinson is thought of as a generational running back and became the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft.
Instead, Johnson accepted his role and played when asked. He racked up over 2,000 rushing yards in four years at Texas along with 23 touchdowns on the ground.
NFL film analyst Brett Kollmann believes he's capable of more than that. He praised his ranking as the best running back in college football at violent running; Johnson led the FBS in missed tackles per attempt and bested Robinson in yards after contact per attempt.
"Were it not for Roschon being stuck behind Bijan at Texas, he would've been seen as one of the best prospects in the entire draft class. In terms of tackle-breaking ability and running dudes over, he was by far the best back in college football at that," Kollmann said.
How high can Johnson fly in his first year? Remember, Khalil Herbert, Travis Homer and D'Onta Foreman crowd the Bears' running back room. Will he get the opportunity to see the field often during his rookie season?
NBC Sports Chicago's Bears Insider, Josh Schrock, believes he'll find snaps on the field during his rookie season.
"I think Johnson will find his way into the starting lineup," Schrock wrote. "The Bears have been effusive in their praise of him. It's also important to note that while they like Herbert, Poles and Eberflus didn't draft him."
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