The fastest way to learn whether a rookie can swim is to throw him in the deep end. And from all accounts from the first handful of Miami Dolphins camp practices, first-round draft pick cornerback Chris Johnson has the look of a rookie who won’t be requiring any floaties to swim.
If there is one thing that’s been clearly communicated by Head Coach Jeff Hafley since taking the reins, it’s that he likes to talk about throwing things on a player’s plate. With Johnson, he says he’s been eating it up and asking for more.
“We’ve asked him to do a lot, and he’s handled it very, very well,” Hafley told reporters after a minicamp practice this past week, “We’ve thrown a lot on his plate, and he’s responded.”
That’s coach-speak for “We’re testing how much this kid can take,” and the early returns suggest the answer is: more than most rookies.
Inside, Outside, and Everywhere, All at Once
Johnson is stepping into a uniquely challenging situation in his first year in the NFL. Not only does he carry the weight of being a first-round selection, but he won’t even be afforded the ability to blend in and learn like most rookies. He’s headed to the front line of an inexperienced secondary right away.
The Dolphins appear set on Johnson playing inside and outside, with a focus on playing the nickel, all while learning an NFL zone scheme after a college career built on simpler man-to-man coverage.
Ready or not, Johnson appears up for the challenge with the clock ticking until the Dolphins open the season against the Las Vegas Raiders on September 13.
“Back at school, I was kind of just playing man-to-man in there,” Johnson said. “But coming here and actually learning the zone drops, learning the different kinds of coverages, it’s not easy, but I’m getting it done.”
Read the tea leaves on that one. A coaching staff doesn’t ask a rookie to play multiple alignments unless they trust his brain as much as his feet. While any Fins fan could tell Johnson is an athletic specimen based solely on his draft highlight reel, coaches clearly understand the processing power underneath the helmet of number 3 is more than capable of handling more than most rookies.
“Coach Haff being able to put me in that position just says he views me as a very important player,” Johnson said. “It’s a lot of pressure on me, but I enjoy pressure, and I like to come out on top.”
Mature Beyond His Years
Across all his comments about Johnson’s make-up, Hafley kept circling back to one word that matters most for projecting a rookie’s snap count and success: mature.
“He’s really mature for a rookie,” Hafley said. “He’s very instinctual. He sees the game very fast. He works really hard in the meeting rooms. He’s super athletic, has really good coverage ability.”
That’s a long list of compliments, but “sees the game very fast” is the one that could be most important for a cornerback. Fins fans know all too well what it looks like for a young corner to be athletic, but seemingly always a step too slow. Athletic corners are everywhere, including out of the league. Corners who process plays at NFL speed as rookies are the ones who end up on the right side of end-of-play team celebrations.
Get to the Ball
If you want to know what Hafley has been preaching to Johnson, the rookie wasn’t shy about sharing the core message from his new boss: see ball, get ball.
“Really just effort, man, just getting to the ball,” Johnson said. “Good things happen to players who get to the ball, which is something we emphasized back at San Diego State.”
Then he laid out the philosophy with the conviction of a guy who’s seen it pay off.
“A fumble might pop out, a ball might tip up in the air. If you weren’t running to the ball, you wouldn’t have made that play. Every ball in the air is money.”
Every ball in the air is money. Paint it on a gym wall.
The Part Rookies Usually Get Wrong
The most telling answer came when Johnson was asked what surprised him most. He didn’t mention the speed of the game or the size of the playbook. He mentioned the welcome.
“Really just how helpful everybody is,” Johnson said. “You think guys are going to dislike you for whatever reason, or different rumors you’ve heard growing up, but everybody here welcomed me with open arms. Nobody keeps any secrets. If I ask anybody anything to help me, they’ll help me, vice versa.”
Those are the sorts of comments that matter in a complete tear-it-down rebuild like the one Miami is undertaking. A brotherhood — or, as some may put it, culture — that lays the foundation for Johnson and the rest of his teammates to stay above water in a season that is sure to throw a lot of choppy water their way.
