Texas Longhorns running back Roschon Johnson (2) runs the ball forward during the Texas Longhorns football game against Kansas State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022.
On Saturday, Texas senior Roschon Johnson was selected by Chicago Bears in the 4th round of the NFL draft. He was the 115th overall pick.
Now, if you had told someone a few years ago that Johnson was going to be drafted by Chicago, they may have assumed he’d be the answer the Bears had long been searching for at quarterback. Johnson, after all, was a four-star prospect at that position when the Port Neches-Groves product signed with UT’s 2019 recruiting class.
But the NFL draft was just the next chapter in Johnson’s story as a running back. The 6-foot, 219-pound Johnson switched positions shortly after arriving on campus and became a valuable contributor at the position. He is the eighth running back selected in this year’s draft.
Over his four years at Texas, Johnson rushed 392 times for 2,190 yards. That ranks 18th in school history. Used as both a Wildcat quarterback and a traditional runner, Johnson produced five 100-yard games in his UT career. He also caught 56 passes and scored 26 offensive touchdowns at Texas.
In Chicago, Johnson won’t be the only Longhorn on the depth chart for running backs. D’Onta Foreman, who was a third-round pick by Houston in the 2017 draft, signed with the Bears this offseason.
Key play: Johnson wasn’t just a versatile weapon for the Texas offense. Additionally, the Longhorns used him on multiple special teams units.
In a game against Iowa State during the 2022 season, Johnson sprinted down the field on a kickoff and recorded a thunderous tackle of the Cyclones returner. “I’ve been telling defensive coaches I can play on that side of the ball too,” said Johnson, who figured that he…
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