Buddy
Johnson.
Buddy
Johnson.
Texas A&M· 6'1"· 229 lb
"A 6-1, 229-pound Texas A&M downhill thumper who led the Aggies in tackles and stacked SEC production — a Day 3 attack-first LB projection whose coverage range and take-on strength defined the ceiling."Pre-draft read
This downhill MIKE/WILL linebacker primarily triggers into A/B-gap runs, maintaining square shoulders and above-average take-on strength for his build. His eyes track from guard to back on early downs, enabling straight-line closures and physical, wrap-and-drive tackles.
He uses a functional two-hand punch to stack and shed second-level blockers. While effective in direct engagement, this concedes yardage against wide-zone schemes. He displays good blitz timing, throttling up through creases on green-dog and delayed inserts. However, his coverage is limited by average hip flexibility and change-of-direction, resulting in heavy zone drops and grabby hands in man coverage.
One-gap 4-3 penetrating fronts or 3-4 two-gap systems that prioritize downhill run defense and A-gap blitzing.
Core special teams player who can develop into a two-down run-stuffing MIKE in Year 2 or 3, leveraging his downhill trigger and take-on strength.
A Fangio-style quarters or Cover-3 match system, which would expose his limited coverage range and hip flexibility against spread concepts.
Johnson's value is in his ability to stop the run and contribute on special teams, making him suitable for power-run defensive schemes, but his lack of coverage skills limits his three-down utility.
Texas A&M LB Buddy Johnson Highlights
Aggies career reel — downhill triggers, take-on reps and finish tackles against SEC competition.
Buddy Johnson 2020 Highlights | Texas A&M LB | 2021 NFL Draft Prospect
Senior-season cut-ups from the 2020 top-five Aggies defense — the tape most evaluators leaned on with no Combine.
Steelers LB coach Jerry Olsavsky on 4th round pick Buddy Johnson
Pittsburgh position coach frames Johnson as an 'attack-first' linebacker after the pick — team fit context.
This player projects as a two-down MIKE/WILL linebacker, offering a high floor against the run and significant special teams value for teams prioritizing physicality and instincts. His primary role on defense involves attacking downhill into the box and providing reliable tackling, a skillset that traditionally appeals to schemes focused on interior run defense.
He entered the draft as a four-year contributor at Texas A&M, having served as a defensive captain and accumulated 233 career tackles, including 84 in his senior season on a highly ranked SEC team. Evaluators largely relied on his film against top-tier competition, as the absence of a Combine meant no headline testing numbers characterized his profile. His usage frequently involved engaging interior linemen and finishing plays in a confined space.
Concerns regarding his coverage limitations and a lack of elite testing metrics placed him as a consensus mid-Day 3 prospect, though some saw late Day 2 potential for his SEC production and temperament. Drafted by Pittsburgh at pick 140, the selection reflected a bet on his run-defense floor and special teams ability as depth, acknowledging the trade-off of limited three-down versatility.
- 01
Downhill Trigger
Triggers downhill into A/B-gap runs, maintaining square shoulders and above-average take-on strength for his build.
- 02
Physical Tackler
His eyes track from guard to back on early downs, enabling straight-line closures and physical, wrap-and-drive tackles.
- 03
Shed Blocking
Uses a functional two-hand punch to stack and shed second-level blockers effectively, playing larger than his frame.
- 04
Blitz Timing
Displays good blitz timing, throttling up through creases on green-dog and delayed inserts to pressure the quarterback.
- 05
Run Defense Floor
Projects as a two-down MIKE/WILL linebacker, offering a high floor against the run and significant special teams value.
- 01
Coverage Limitations
Average hip flexibility and change-of-direction limit coverage ability, resulting in heavy zone drops and grabby hands in man coverage.
- 02
Concedes Yardage
Effective in direct engagement, but his two-hand punch concedes yardage against wide-zone schemes when playing downhill.
- 03
Limited Versatility
Limited three-down versatility due to coverage concerns and a lack of elite testing metrics, impacting overall draft projection.
- 04
No Testing Numbers
The absence of a Combine meant no headline testing numbers characterized his profile for evaluators to confirm tape.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Texas A&M | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Texas A&M | 12 | 27 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Texas A&M | 13 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Texas A&M | 10 | 85 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | — | 47 | 203 | 5.5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Same organization, same archetype — Day 3 SEC-adjacent LB who profiled as core special-teamer with fringe defensive snaps.
Undersized downhill LB who won on trigger and blitz timing; ceiling if Johnson had added a coverage dimension.
Late-round Steelers LB who never converted college production into a stable NFL role; the outcome Johnson unfortunately traced.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Bust. 3 special-teams tackles across two years, cut before Year 3. Signed with the Bears on a futures deal, out of the league by 2023.
Pre-draft context. Buddy Johnson arrived at Texas A&M as a four-star linebacker out of Judson (San Antonio) and grew into the defensive heartbeat of the program's SEC rebuild. Listed at 6-1, 229, he stacked 233 career tackles across four seasons, capped by an 84-tackle senior year (8.5 for loss, 3 sacks) and a defensive captaincy on the 2020 Aggies team that finished No. 4 in the AP poll. The 2021 cycle had no NFL Scouting Combine because of COVID, so evaluators leaned on the SEC tape and College Station pro day; Johnson never became a national testing story, and consensus boards slotted him as a fringe Day 2 / early Day 3 downhill linebacker whose value lived in physicality, effort and SEC-tested instincts rather than any measurable calling card.
NFL fit — Pittsburgh Steelers. The organization used pick 140 on Johnson as inside-linebacker depth behind Devin Bush and Vince Williams, betting on the run-defense floor and special-teams temperament that Pittsburgh has traditionally coveted at the position. Those working with linebackers framed him publicly as an "attack-first" linebacker, and the fit made sense on paper: a between-the-tackles thumper for a defense that wanted to reload the second level around T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. Reality was harsher. Johnson barely played on defense as a rookie, spent much of 2021 as a healthy inactive, and never earned rotational trust behind Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane.
Retrospective. The Steelers waived Johnson in August 2022, and he bounced around the fringes — Indianapolis Colts practice squad, camp looks with Miami — without carving out a sustained NFL role. He belongs to a broader Day 3 archetype of college captains who project as core special-teamers but never solve the coverage limitations that keep them off the field on third down. The pick did not damage Pittsburgh's draft, but it produced no measurable NFL production, and Johnson's career is now defined by his Aggies tape rather than any Steelers snap count.