Steve
Johnson didn’t have to wait for training camp for his
welcome-to-the-NFL moment. He learned his lesson away from the playing
field this spring.
Johnson was the passenger in a car driven by
Bills running back Marshawn Lynch on May 31. Lynch struck a pedestrian
and later pleaded guilty to a traffic violation, ending the matter.
While the case was pending, however, an intense media spotlight was
focused on the situation.
“I think everybody takes lessons from
situations, be it good or bad,” Bills wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert
said. “Hopefully, everybody took something positive from that negative
situation to be able to learn from.”
According to Johnson, that’s exactly what happened.
“You learn from it. Now I know what to expect,” Johnson said. “I’ve just got to be a professional. … This is my job now.”
Tolbert has high hopes for what the rookie can bring to the team.
“He’s
a very good player,” the coach said of Johnson. “He played in a very
good conference in the SEC. He competed against top competition and he
performed week in and week out, so we feel very fortunate to have
drafted him where we did (seventh round, 224th overall).”
A knee
injury kept Johnson out of practice this week, meaning he’s missed out
on some reps. Tolbert, though, said Johnson has kept up in the meeting
room.
“He’s stayed on top of it mentally,” the coach said. “He can’t allow this to be a setback when he gets back in there.”
At
6-foot-2, Johnson is the second-tallest receiver on the team behind
6-foot-6 fellow rookie James Hardy. That height, along with a good set
of hands and run-after-the-catch ability, according to Tolbert, has led
some to believe Johnson will be the sleeper of this year’s rookie class.
“Just
coming in in the seventh round, I’m already a sleeper,” Johnson said.
“Anywhere you go, you have to make a name for yourself. It was like
that at Kentucky, it was like that in high school. It’s nothing
different.”
With the Wildcats last season, Johnson became just
the fourth player in school history to gain more than 1,000 yards
receiving in a season. His 13 touchdown catches were one shy of
school’s single-season record.
When pick No. 224 came up, Tolbert was surprised Johnson was still on the board.
“My own personal grade was much higher than where he got drafted,” the coach said.
Johnson
celebrated his 22nd birthday July 22, making him the youngest player on
the roster. So does that mean he should also be the freshest?
“We’re all fresh out here,” he said with a laugh. “We’re focused on a mission this year.”
Johnson and his wife, Britney, have a daughter, Miyah.
