Zion

Johnson

The 2022 first-rounder has mostly struggled at guard, leading the team to opine he could man the pivot in 2025. That was in early March, and meaningful competition wasn’t added in the draft or free agency. It means Johnson is probably getting another chance, but it is likely to be his last one in Los Angeles.

The 17th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson has struggled in his first three seasons. He finished with a career-best 64.4 PFF blocking grade in the regular season during 2024, but was part of the problem for Los Angeles in their Wild Card loss to Houston. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper writes that this move might mean the Chargers are less than enamored with the free-agent market at center, perhaps preferring some of the guard options that are available. Johnson has not performed well enough to have an assured starting lineup spot in 2025 and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers did try him at a new position this offseason.

The Chargers’ injury report on Monday initially read that Johnston was a non-participant in practice. However, Chargers staff corrected the initial report and said it was actually OL Zion Johnson who was DNP with an ankle issue. Johnson suffered the injury during Week 15 and was also listed as DNP on Tuesday. Johnston is on track to play Thursday against the Broncos while Johnson is tracking to be out Week 16.

Johnson was rolled up on from behind after a Chargers OL and a Buccaneers pass rusher tumbled to the ground together. Johnson’s right leg appeared to bend somewhat inward, potentially resulting in a knee and/or ankle injury. He was barely able to put weight on his injured leg and required assistance from the Chargers’ training staff to leave the field.

Johnson’s deal is worth roughly $16.7 million. As is the case with all first-round rookies, it includes a team option for a fifth year. Johnson is a physical interior lineman who wins with leverage and athleticism. He can play any interior position at a high level and is expected to start at right guard in 2022.

It’s a sensible pick for an ascending (we swear this time it’s true) team that needs to be better protect franchise cornerstone Justin Herbert. Johnson (6’3/316) was a three-year starter at BC after transferring from FCS Davidson. He was All-ACC each of his three years in Chestnut Hill, culminating with first-team All-American honors in 2021. Johnson’s rapid rise continued at the Senior Bowl, where he was named National Team MVP and earned praise for volunteering to play center and taking extra snaps in the driving rain after practice. A power pivot with a forklifting ethos, Johnson’s game is predicated on a muscle and leverage. An area of development will be the recognition of stunts, twists, and blitzes. Athletically, there are no questions. Johnson posted a 97th-percentile size-adjusted relative athletic score. With starting experience at left guard and left tackle, he projects as an immediate starter at any of the three interior spots and can provide depth at tackle. We see a Laken Tomlinson-like NFL guard.

When it comes to big boards, positional value doesn’t carry a whole lot of merit. It’s all about how you feel about a player’s talent. When you build it for an NFL team, that is a different story. Johnson (6'3/316) has all the talent and proper build to play on the interior in the NFL. His ranking at 11 is well deserved, but his draft stock likely won’t reflect it. There will be a team getting a better player than his draft position come April.

He’s just behind current Green Bay Packers’ RB AJ Dillion, who had a 91.3 PFF grade in 2019. Johnson has been shooting up draft boards since the Senior Bowl, and as an interior lineman, he has been tough to break through as he allowed only six pressures and one sack in the 2021 season. Scouts love his blocking abilities but also say he has an above-average football IQ and believe he could be a starter right away.

Projecting an interior offensive lineman in the first round is a unique challenge. The positional value isn’t high with those players and how many of them get drafted is a prime example of that. Johnson (6'3/316) is an agreed-upon prospect in that he is immensely talented and viewed as safe. Spielberger agreed, stating that “he is a plug-and-play starter on the interior.” To Spielberger, that is a first-round lock, and based on the talent, he is right. Whether he goes in the first round is yet to be determined, but the number of teams at the end of the round will likely confirm Spielberger’s opinion.

Johnson (6'3/310) is an interesting prospect. The two-time captain at Boston College has the balance to be a solid blocker along with an above-average football IQ. He’s showing some impressive athletic numbers at the combine, specifically for the short shuttle time which has Twitter buzzing. He became just the 24th offensive lineman to post a sub-4.46 short shuttle time and those players have started in 84% of their possible games. Some of the others that have posted such numbers are Jason Kelce, Ali Marpet, and John Urchel, that’s a pretty nice list to be a part of. Before the combine, he was projected as a mid-round pick, but some of these numbers could help him move up.