The last pick of the NFL Draft usually amounts to nothing, but teams have still been able to find productive players.
One doesn’t have to look much further than the 2022 NFL Draft when the San Francisco 49ers took Brock Purdy with the final selection. Purdy wound up taking over as the 49ers’ starting quarterback later in the 2022 season and was able to lead them all the way to the NFC Championship Game before getting hurt in the first series.
For the Los Angeles Rams, they had the honors of picking the last player in the 2023 NFL Draft and they went with Toledo defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson. Johnson spent five seasons at Toledo where he recorded 45.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks.
Getting picked last can be a humbling experience for any college player, but Johnson isn’t bothered by the tag and is using it as motivation to prove he belongs in the NFL, via WTOL 11:
“Call me Mr. Irrelevant. I ain’t trippin’. I’m just ready to play football,” he told WTOL11. “Everybody was making it seem bad. Like, it’s just a name. I understand the things that come with it and everything, but at the end of the day, I got picked and I’m ready to prove that I’m there and I’m ready to play.”
Johnson’s got a great attitude and the mindset to stick at the pro level and that should serve him well as he’s got to fight to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Fortunately for him, there should be plenty of opportunities for the defensive tackle as Los Angeles is short of players at the position after seeing quality role guys like A’Shawn Robinson and Greg Gaines depart in free agency.
The Toledo product should also be motivated knowing he’ll get to work out alongside Aaron Donald who is healthy and ready to lead the defense once again. The Rams seem to be banking on their young players’ hunger and drive to carry them through the season and it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Ernest Jones says young defensive unit is hungryt
With several key veterans no longer on the roster, L.A.’s got to rely on younger leaders like Ernest Jones to step in and fill the void. Jones has shown budding leadership qualities since coming to the Rams and he believes the youth on the defensive side of the field are hungry to make names for themselves.
