The long road for Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson could lead him to the Eagles

MOBILE, Ala. — Jermaine Johnson II was asked to explain his long, collegiate road to top NFL prospect: from junior college anonymity to Georgia bottleneck, from senior-year transfer to Florida State All-American.

“It’s almost like bamboo,” Johnson said. “When you plant bamboo, you don’t see anything for a long, long, long time. And out of nowhere it explodes.”

While the defensive end’s metaphor was the opposite of what he meant — bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth — his definition could have described the onerous pursuit for pass-rushers.

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And also the laborious path many first-round NFL defensive linemen must endure before they deliver upon expectations. An insatiable love of football is often required if one is to sustain an extended period without dividends.

Johnson cited his circuitous route. Academically ineligible, he began his college career at Independence Community in Kansas — the JUCO program featured in the Netflix series, “Last Chance U.” He moved on to Georgia, but transferred after two seasons in which he started only four games.

At Florida State, Johnson exploded, recording 11½ sacks, 17½ tackles for loss and 70 total tackles.

“I transferred two times. If you don’t love ball, you don’t really go through all that,” he said last month. “I went to junior college for 18 months. … You can’t take the journey I’ve taken and not love ball. It just won’t work.”

Johnson’s interview was conducted the day after some analysts cited his performance as one of the best at Senior Bowl practices. He worked out the next day, but pulled out before the game, likely out of precaution and because he felt he didn’t have much else to prove.

The 23-year-old solidified to some a pre-Senior Bowl first-round grade. Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent mock draft had Johnson going to the Broncos with the ninth overall pick. The NFL Network analyst’s evaluation is just one of many, of course.

The consensus from a half dozen NFL scouts recently polled was that Johnson would likely be selected in the first round. His skill set, size (6-foot-4, 259 pounds), senior-season production and the premium position in which he plays almost guarantees that he will go among the first 32 selections.

Next week’s NFL combine could further confirm that status, depending on how much Johnson participates. But the edge-rusher class is considered deep and this draft has many involved unsure — more than in recent years — of how the first round may unfold.

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The Eagles, who have the 15th, 16th and 19th picks, appear poised to take an edge rusher early if they keep all three choices. The need is there with starters Derek Barnett a free agent and Brandon Graham, who turns 34 in April, coming off an Achilles tendon rupture.

Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux should be top-10 picks. But Purdue’s George Karlaftis, Georgia’s Travon Walker, Michigan’s David Ojabo and Johnson could be potential targets for general manager Howie Roseman in the Eagles’ span of first-round picks.

Johnson has traits that most teams would covet.

“He’s an explosive, strong, speed-to-power rusher with a high motor,” an NFL evaluator said. “Howie’s kind of guy.”

Barnett, Roseman’s last first-round edge rusher, fit that description coming out in 2017. But the Eagles have a different defensive scheme than they did five years ago, having transferred from Jim Schwartz’s wide-nine 4-3 to Jonathan Gannon’s multiple front last year.

Gannon would move certain edge rushers inside in his base 3-4, but that didn’t always play to the strengths of Ryan Kerrigan, rookie Tarron Jackson and Josh Sweat, who replaced Graham after his injury. Every coach wants versatile players, but the drafting of defensive tackle Milton Williams last year suggested the Eagles have placed more emphasis on the quality.

Johnson said he is open to playing multiple positions, but he clearly sees himself as an edge rusher.

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“I like to be outside as much as possible,” he said. “But when teams are starting to scheme me up and slide my way, chip me, my coaches and I had to combat that with certain games and different looks.”

Johnson said he models his game after preeminent NFL defensive ends Myles Garrett and Khalil Mack, and his mental approach after all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald. He displayed a variety of pass-rush moves during Senior Bowl practices. It was a bull rush at the end of that Tuesday’s practice, though, that had Mobile buzzing.

When American coach Duce Staley called on Johnson and Darian Kinnard to go head-to-head in front of the entire team, the defensive end had already scored multiple wins vs. the Kentucky tackle. And he won again, in convincing fashion, on their first late-practice repetition.

“That’s my goal, taking another man’s will,” Johnson said. “Having someone be terrified to go up against me. There’s no better feeling than that and you can just feel it as a player. When you know someone is kind of shaking in their boots.”

Kinnard, to his credit, bounced back on the next rep. But Johnson, on the day, answered some questions about his pass rush. He was more effective as a run defender in college, which is important, of course, but being able to consistently affect the quarterback in the NFL is paramount.

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“He has good size and all that, but he doesn’t ply with his hands,” another NFL scout said, “and he’s a little tight as a rusher.”

Teams will also dig into the reasons behind Johnson’s departure from Georgia. He wouldn’t be the first prospect to leave a program because of opportunity. But some evaluators could mark the lesser competition he faced away from the Bulldogs and the SEC as strikes against.

“I didn’t go to junior college to stay at junior college,” Johnson said. “I was going to leave there eventually. But I definitely planned on being a ‘dog through and through. … That was one of the harder business decisions I had to make. Nothing but love there.”

Georgia went on to win the national championship, while Florida State went 5-7. But Johnson said he left without any assurances, and that winning a starting spot allowed for him to become a leader in Tallahassee.

He had almost immediate success, notching 1½ sacks against Notre Dame in the Seminoles’ opener. But the Eagles and other interested teams will likely want to know if Johnson can handle the pressures that go along with being a top pick and the likelihood that it could take time to meet those demands.

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His arduous JUCO-to-NFL trek speaks to his mental strength.

“You just got to stay down till you come up,” Johnson said. “You don’t see any fruits for all your labor … so that’s the hardest part of it. In college, if you do anything good in spring ball, it’s all over the news or people know about it. You get some sort of recognition.

“In junior college, you’re getting recognition from your teammates and coaches, and to be honest, that’s all I needed.”