Johnson grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and attended Eden Prairie High School. As a senior he was named All-Metro after recording 37 tackles and seven sacks.[1] Johnson was academically ineligible to play NCAA Division I football after graduation.[2]
College career
Johnson began his collegiate career at Independence Community College.[3] While at Independence, he was featured in the fourth season of the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U where he played under head coach Jason Brown.[4] As a freshman, he had 58 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles.[5] Johnson transferred to the University of Georgia following the season.[6]
Johnson played in every game for the Georgia Bulldogs as a sophomore, where he had 20 tackles and 2.5 sacks.[7] As a senior, he finished third on the team with four sacks with 16 total tackles and 11 quarterback hurries.[8] Towards the end of the season Johnson entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Florida State for his final season of NCAA eligibility.[9] Johnson had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in his first game for the Seminoles, a 41-38 overtime loss to Notre Dame, and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week.[10][11] He was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC after he finished the season with 70 tackles and led the ACC with 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.[12]
Johnson was selected in the first round with the 26th overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2022 NFL draft.[15] In Week 14, against the Buffalo Bills, he blocked a punt that resulted in a safety.[16] As a rookie, he appeared in 14 games and recorded 2.5 sacks and 29 total tackles.[17]