NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Taiwan Johnson, DL, University of Arkansas

NFL Draft Diamonds website has been providing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed things up a bit. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the draft eligible player. We hope to bring you more than 500 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner to the right.  Now let’s meet our next prospect!!!!

What is your name?

Taiwan Johnson 

What is your Height/Weight?

6’2 280 

What is your position?

DL

Where do you play college football?

University of Arkansas 

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

Various charity events around Houston with my father and his fraternity Phi Beta Sigma. 

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

Algebra 

Where are you from?

Houston , Texas 

Who is your role model, and why?

My father, his hard work and perseverance paved the way for me. 

Did you play any other sports growing up?

No 

Did you play any other positions in football?

OL and TE

At your position, what separates you from others?  

My hands and the way I use them when I play. 

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

OL stances, QB cadence. Team situation tendencies. 

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?  

Reece Dismuke’s C for Auburn. 

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?

Robert Thomas, he taught me a lot when I arrived at Arkansas , and he plays hard and technically sound. 

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?  

The area I grew up in. It’s easy to get distracted and caught up in things that could hinder you but I stayed focused and never took my eyes off my dreams. 

Do you have any pre-game rituals?  

I usually just listen to music and text all my loved ones. They give me great support and confidence to play my hardest. 

What is your biggest strength?

The way I strike and use my hands when I’m taking on blocks, also my recognition of blocks. 

What is your biggest weakness?

My size. Many feel I’m undersized but playing NG in the SEC gave me a lot of confidence that no matter my size if my heart is big enough I can be effective. 

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

That I have valuable experience as a 3 year starter in the SEC and I played at NG at 255 pounds in a top 5 conference defense. 

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

My favorite player was Tom Brady and favorite team was the Houston Texans. 

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?

Martin Luther King Jr ,  Barack Obama, Chadwick Boseman 

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?  

A car.