Chicago Bears Draft: Why Jaylon Johnson is steal of the draft
By Ryan Heckman
1. Injury is now a non-factor
One of the reasons Johnson was going to slide just a little bit is due to having three shoulder operations in the past. However, he has put those behind him and says he is completely healthy now.
New #Bears CB Jaylon Johnson underwent shoulder surgery after the combine.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 25, 2020
"My shoulder is doing good. I’ll definitely be ready to go. My shoulder is fixed and I’m ready to go," he said.
Bears insider Arthur Arkush pointed out that Pace found Eddie Jackson in the fourth round a few years ago simply because of an injury discount. Jackson obviously worked out to be one of the draft’s biggest steals that year.
After taking Johnson so late, the Bears now look to prove they found another steal due to similar reason. After being drafted by Chicago, Johnson said that he “was expecting to go higher and will work to prove every other team wrong,” per Arkush.
Many believed that if it hadn’t been for his shoulder concern, Johnson could have been the second cornerback off the board and potentially a top-15 pick. All things considered, if the Bears got a potential top-15 guy at no. 50 overall, that’s incredible value.
Bears beat reporter and writer Larry Mayer tweeted after the pick that Johnson said he has a chip on his shoulder (no pun intended) and will work hard to prove other teams made a mistake passing up on him — I like that kind of edge in a player.