Chambersburg grad C.J. Johnson signs with Falcons
Football has been a lifelong journey for Cory "C.J." Johnson.
In 2011, Johnson graduated from Chambersburg Area Senior High School. He played at two junior colleges before earning a shot at Division I football with the University of Kentucky.
As a Wildcat, Johnson's statistics spoke for themselves. And although those stats weren't good enough to get the defensive tackle's name called in the NFL Draft, they were certainly enough to turn heads.
Right after the draft concluded, Johnson got the call he has been waiting years to receive. He signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
"I mean, I was disappointed after the draft when my name didn't get called," Johnson said. "But I talked to (the Falcons') coach prior, and their coach let me know that he really liked me and that my name was on his board. It wasn't on the rest of the people's boards, but they were still calling consistently for me."
For good reason.
As a senior at UK, Johnson finished with 67 tackles and led the team with eight tackles for a loss. He had two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Johnson even got a moment of offensive glory when he returned a recovered fumble 77 yards for a touchdown.
"I was expecting to get drafted higher than I did because my stats were so good," Johnson said. "I play relentless. I really try to make every play. I have that mindset that I'm going to make every play that comes to me, or I'm at least diving on the pile. I had to put it all out there in my senior year.
"I was either going to get drafted or go home, so I just put it all on the field every game, and it paid off."
Don't expect the journey to end here, though. There's still a lot of work to be done.
"After talking to their coach, I know I need to be a good pass rusher," said Johnson, who checks in at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds. "He likes defensive players to be well-rounded. With me having 60-plus tackles, he can see I can stop the run, but now they want to see my pass rushing. I gotta keep working to make sure I can get to the quarterback and take on the blocks to get to the running back as well."
Luckily, Johnson is no stranger to hard work, and despite being one step closer, he seems hungrier than ever.
"I ain't really put too much thought into the contract, because if I don't make the 53-man roster, all I did was get a tryout," Johnson said. "My dream will be made when I put them pads on, and my name is on the back of that jersey."