Jaylon Johnson says his first goal as a 2nd round pick for the Chicago Bears is simple. He wants to become a starter. He’ll have that opportunity when training camp begins. Prince Amukamara is out of the picture. This leaves the second cornerback position opposite Kyle Fuller wide open. Johnson will do battle with Kevin Toliver, Tre Roberson, and Artie Burns for the chance to claim that spot.
After that? The rookie has his goals. Obviously helping the team get to and win the Super Bowl is tops. However, from a personal standpoint, there are some interesting achievements he has in mind. He held an AMA session recently for Bleacher Report and was asked about some of them. One involved which quarterbacks he most wants to interception. Aaron Rodgers was one and Tom Brady was the other.
One of the more interesting answer came a bit later regarding which wide receiver he most wants to test his mettle against.
“Fan: Who’s one wide receiver in the NFL you would want to man up against?
Johnson: Davante Adams. I’ve watched his game a whole lot. I have a whole lot of respect for his game. His releases. The way he runs his routes. I’ve watched about an hour on YouTube.”
Jaylon Johnson was fixated on Adams even before Chicago
This marks the second time that Johnson has spoken publicly about his desire to cover Adams. He did so right before the draft in April. He views the Green Bay Packers star as one of the best in the NFL. Somebody that pushes a cornerback to his limit because of the route running savvy and explosiveness. Being able to fluster somebody of that caliber means you must be pretty damn good.
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The fact that Johnson is eager for that challenge speaks to why the Bears drafted him. He’s a competitor. He wants that pressure of playing against the best. Those guys tend to have a lot of success in their careers. It will be fascinating to see if the Bears give him that opportunity when they lock horns with the Packers this season. The receiver has been known to give them headaches many times.
Being able to even slow him down would be a gigantic win for them.