With the 86th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected running back David Johnson of Northern Iowa. Johnson was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference player in both 2013 and 2014, and the first player in school history with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
NFL Draft picks 2015: David Johnson taken by Cardinals in 3rd round
David Johnson will join the Cardinals after being taken in the third round of the NFL Draft.
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Johnson was incredibly productive at Northern Iowa, breaking a slew of school records including career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns and career all-purpose yards. He finished his college career with 866 carries for 4,682 yards and 49 touchdowns. The 2014 season was his best with 1,553 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Johnson improved each season he was with the Panthers. He’s a big-bodied running back who is capable of taking multiple hits before he goes down. That said, he doesn’t have great acceleration through holes made for him, and isn’t going to make anybody miss. He prefers to run through the guys tackling him.
Johnson was impressive at the NFL Scouting Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds, the 3-cone drill in 6.82 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.27 seconds. He also put up 25 reps in the bench press, and posted a vertical leap of 41.5 inches and a broad jump of 127 inches.
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