First, it has been reported that Jim Harbaugh may be thinking about bringing Johnson to the Bay Area. Johnson thrived under Harbaugh's tutelage at San Diego in 2007, passing for 2,988 yards, 43 TDs to JUST ONE INTERCEPTION. He also rushed for 726 yards and two TDs. He ended the season with a NCAA all time best passer rating of 176.68. It is believed that Harbaugh was a huge influence on his performance, so the idea of Johnson ending up having success with the Niners is frightening.
Now, I know that those numbers don't always transfer to the NFL, but a guy that is able to put up those kind of numbers at the Division I level should at least warrant a look.
Second, he's young, athletic (24 years old, 6'3", 215, 4.5 40), has a decent arm, and could come at a relatively cheap price. Josh Freeman is securely entrenched as the team's starting QB of the future. 2011 is the final year of Johnson's rookie contract, and if the Bucs don't sign him to an extension, he could be looking for greener pastures in 2012. Buccaneers' management may try to get multiple draft picks or some sort of compensation for him before risking losing him and ending up with a lower value compensatory pick.
Here is some analysis on Johnson as he was coming out for the draft from kffl.com.
Bryce McRae states:
The 43:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio tells you Johnson is a strong decision-maker on the field. He makes accurate reads and will go through all the required checks. He worked in a pass-oriented offense at San Diego, which should help him dealing with the complexities of NFL offenses. Not only does he make the right reads, but Johnson shows good accuracy on his short passes, even though he sometimes does not adjust to receivers as well as he should. In addition to his cerebral tendencies, Johnson is a vocal leader on the field who demonstrates good fire and confidence in himself.
It is on the deep throws where Johnson is most comfortable. Good hip movement and a quick release allow him to get the ball out quickly. He has great accuracy on his deep throws. Compared to his short throws, Johnson does a better job hitting his receivers in stride than he does on timing patterns.Check out the rest of McRae's scouting report.
Here is a pre-draft report on Johnson from '08 done by Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom. I have been following Sigmund Bloom for a while now and he does top-notch work.
I really don't see the Hawks going out to get this guy as their new starter, but I do believe it's within the realm of possibility they look at him as a developmental option. With a guy of his age, you almost have to look at him the same way you'd look at a potential draft pick. With the Seahawks' low position in the draft this year, the elite level QBs will most likely be gone by the time #25 comes around. If they are not sold on any of the prospects in this year's class, I can see them making moves to bring in other talent at the position, talent that may not have been developed in the right atmosphere, or in Johnson's case, talent that has been buried behind a stud franchise-type QB in Josh Freeman.
Pete Carroll knows that he'll be ultimately judged on whether he can find a QB to lead this team into the next 5 years; this is a QB's league and it will be the most important area they will need to focus. I have no doubt him and John Schneider will leave no stone unturned in this search.
One final note on Josh Johnson. He is the cousin of one Marshawn Lynch, and played at Oakland Tech High School with Beastmode, and they host a Family Football camp together every summer. Not that this factoid means much to Pete Carroll and John Schneider, but interesting none the less.
Oh and, while we're on the subject of Beastmode, here is that one run he made:
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