What would Chris Johnson add to Las Vegas Raiders’ secondary in 2026 NFL draft?

High IQ play from Chris Johnson

-Doesn't fall for the lazy WR release on the PA fake
-Reads QB's eyes, flips his hips and tracks the ball
-Undercuts route for pick 6#NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/kZ0cXnvb5t

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

A defensive back has to have a high football IQ to come up with as many interceptions as Johnson did last season, and we’ll get a good example of that on this rep.

Cal runs a play-action pass where the two eligible wide receivers help sell the run fake by, essentially, just dogging it off the line of scrimmage. The offense’s goal is to beat the secondary over the top by either lulling the defensive backs to sleep or getting them to crash downhill and provide run support. However, Johnson doesn’t take the bait.

To be fair, he does get some help from the defense’s play call. San Diego State is running a three-deep, three-under fire zone, meaning they’re blitzing a linebacker, and the corner’s primary job is to keep everything in front of him. But the run fake isn’t the only way his intelligence stands out here.

Johnson reads the quarterback’s eyes and sees the quarterback staring down the seam route. So, he opens his hips to the middle of the field and starts to squeeze the seam to help his teammates in coverage while still being in a position to get to the sideline. As a result, the quarterback goes to his second read and thinks he has the outside receiver wide open on a fade route for an easy touchdown.

However, Johnson still has eyes on the QB and ends up baiting this throw. Once he sees the QB’s throwing motion start, the corner flips his hips, reads the ball in the air and steps in front of the receiver to come up with the pick. On top of that, he finishes by reading a block and taking it all the way back to the house for a near 100-yard pick-six.

In other words, the former Aztec essentially pulled the uno-reverse card on the offense, going from an attempt to set him up for a touchdown to setting himself up to score a touchdown.

Chris Johnson recently had a top 30 visit with the #Raiders, and the 4 INTs he had last season are likely a big reason LV is interested in him

Nice job stepping in front of the comeback to get a pick here #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/d49T6w9Ebz

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

The play calls are a little simpler on this one. Northern Illinois calls a play-action bootleg with a high-low route combination from the two receivers at the top of the screen. Meanwhile, San Diego State runs a pattern- or zone-match defense, which essentially turns into man coverage for the outside cornerback on the wide side of the field since the receiver’s route is over 10 yards.

With the two slot defenders bracketing the slot receiver, Johnson is one-on-one with no safety help. He does a good job of maintaining outside leverage when the receiver stems the route inside, putting him in a position to stay in phase when the wideout breaks toward the sideline. Since the slot receiver is double-covered and the pass-rush is coming, the quarterback still tries to hit the out route, which is a bad idea because Johnson reads the throw and steps in front of the receiver to come up with the interception.

This can be seen from the end zone view; notice how the corner uses some physicality to beat the receiver to the ball. The contact isn’t significant enough to draw a pass interference penalty, but it is enough to put himself in a position to come away with the interception. That shows an aggressive mindset and a “my ball” mentality for the makings of a true ballhawk.

Chris Johnson 1on1 with no safety help, rips the ball out at the catch point for another INT #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/OnOx5AN6xS

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

Speaking of the aggressive “my ball” mentality, this next rep is an even better example.

While the Aztecs are in Cover 3, they’re clearly worried about the slot receiver on the wide side of the field beating them, bracketing him with the free safety and nickelback. That leaves the boundary corner, Johnson, one-on-one with no help over the top.

With that type of coverage, Johnson has to give the offense something, or he’ll end up covering nothing. To be in a position to drive on a short route and make a tackle to set up third down rather than giving up an easy conversion, he doesn’t get any deeper than 10 yards until the receiver forces him to turn and run. The downside is that he has to play from a trail position against the go route.

As a result, the receiver gets a step on Johnson. But the latter doesn’t panic and stays within arm’s length of his man throughout the rep. Also, he doesn’t try to locate the ball in the air until he’s back in phase with the receiver, as turning his head would slow him down and make the problem worse. So, with a slightly underthrown pass, the corner is in a great spot to make a play at the catchpoint, ripping the ball away for another pick.

Wouldn't surprise me if the #Raiders are interested in seeing what Chris Johnson can do at nickel, nice rep to get a PBU vs a slot fade here #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/TDyUGvK133

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

Per PFF, Johnson has only recorded 51 career snaps over the slot. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if part of the Raiders’ interest in him is that he has traits to contribute as a nickelback, and we’ll get a good look at him defending a slot fade route on this rep.

With the Aztecs playing Cover 1, Johnson lines up in press and is man-to-man with a big slot receiver. Post snap, he does a good job of keeping his hips square to the line of scrimmage until the receiver commits outside, and then uses his inside hand to help stay in the receiver’s hip while turning and running. That invites some hand fighting throughout the route, and the receiver gets a subtle push off with the ball in the air.

But the corner manages to keep a hand on the wideout’s chest to recover, and he makes a great play at catchpoint by playing through the wideout’s back to punch the ball out for PBU. Considering there aren’t many nickel reps to draw from, this is an encouraging rep to see and gives hope that his ball skills can travel.

Love how Chris Johnson is willing to mix it up in the running game, wouldn't surprise me if the #Raiders think he can play some nickel #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/lHBucwZDl2

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

Another reason why the Raiders’ brass might be interested in Johnson as a nickelback is that he’s physical and willing to mix it up in the running game. He has some work to do when it comes to taking on/defeating blocks in the box, but he isn’t an outside corner who takes run plays off.

On this rep, Cal comes out in a spread formation before shifting into a condensed set, forcing the boundary cornerback (and all defensive backs, for that matter) into the box. Then, they run split zone where the backside tight end (No. 85) helps the right tackle block the defensive end, and the slicer (No. 85, the tight end working across the formation) kicks out the outside linebacker.

That leaves Johnson unblocked, and instead of hanging back on the second level, he fills the gap and makes the tackle near the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, the result isn’t here as the offense converts on the short-yardage situation, but the mentality and willingness to play the run are apparent from the defensive back.

Another nickel-adjacent rep from Chris Johnson, blitzing from the short side of the field to provide run support #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/DvqOYmAEQl

— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026

This is another example of how the San Diego State product’s game can transfer to nickelback or add at least some position versatility to his repertoire.

While Johnson is on the boundary, he’s on the short side of the field and blitzes off the edge, similar to if he were lined up over the slot and sent on a nickel blitz with narrow hashmarks in the NFL. Meanwhile, out of an offset I-formation from the pistol, the offense calls an RPO with a lead-counter run in the backfield, where the fullback gets the ball and the halfback lead blocks.

That means the halfback is responsible for kicking out the blitzing corner, but the corner wisely pulls up in the backfield, preventing the halfback from being able to cut him or ride his momentum and wash him inside. So, Johnson can work inside the block, and because he broke down, he can work flat down the line of scrimmage to tackle the ball carrier.

Granted, the tackle attempt can be better since the Huskies picked up some extra yards after contact. That will be another area of growth if the Aztec is going to lineup at nickel. But what’s encouraging is that he’s a pretty secure tackler, recording just eight misses at a 5.4 percent rate during his career, with just three and a 5.6 percent miss rate this past season, according to PFF.

It’s fair to question if Johnson will be available when the Raiders are back on the clock, since he has received some first-round love in a handful of mock drafts recently. But he is on the fringe of being a Day 1 or 2 pick, and if he doesn’t come off the board on Thursday night of the draft, expect the Mountain West DPOY to be on the table at 36.