Toledo’s Desjuan Johnson is 2023 NFL Draft’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant’
Brock Purdy took the “Mr. Irrelevant” label and shattered all expectations with his rookie season in 2022 for the 49ers, leading them to the NFC Championship game after injuries to those above him on the depth chart.
This year, Toledo defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson has been tasked with trying to match that level of production.
The Rams selected Johnson with the 259th and final pick in Saturday’s 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, Mo.
It wasn’t originally supposed to be the Rams’ selection, but they traded the 167th pick to the Texans for the 174th and the final selection.
Johnson spent five seasons at Toledo, and he was a three-star recruit out of East English Village Preparatory Academy in Detroit, Mich.
In 2022, Johnson recorded 65 total tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss, helping Toledo to a 9-5 record and a victory over Liberty in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Desjuan Johnson and Toledo defeated Liberty in the Boca Raton Bowl last year. Getty Images
Desjuan Johnson was selected by the Rams with the final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. AP
The 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman also received offers from Western Michigan, Ball State, Central Michigan and Kent State, according to his 247sports recruiting page, and he originally committed to Western Michigan before flipping to Toledo later in 2017 — during his senior season.
Johnson will join a Rams organization that won a Super Bowl two years ago but struggled last year, missing the playoffs and finishing 5-12, and an accumulation of draft picks allowed them to make 14 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Their last one, though, might attract the most attention in the near future, given the success that Purdy had under the “Mr. Irrelevant” label, which started in 1976 — according to NFL.com.
During his first NFL season, Purdy started the final five regular-season games and the three postseason games for the 49ers, with injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance sidelining their top two quarterbacks.
Desjuan Johnson spent five seasons playing for Toledo’s offensive line. Getty Images
Purdy won his first start.
Then, he won his second.
And he — and the 49ers — kept stringing together victories until they clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
They ultimately lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game, though, when Purdy suffered an elbow injury and couldn’t throw the ball even after he returned.
As for Johnson, his first step will be making the Rams’ roster out of training camp.
Then, if Johnson accomplishes that step, he will have an opportunity to try and add even more significance to the history of “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Source: New York Post
