Getty The 49ers celebrate a defensive stop on October 30, 2022 in Inglewood.
The San Francisco 49ers are already getting the ball rolling with the evaluation process for finding their next members of the roster. Which could also include reuniting former college teammates together.
And on Friday, February 24, one NFL scout revealed the Niners spoke with a sleeper defensive lineman who looked “unblockable” in front of spectators and scouts while at a renown all-star game. Per Justin Melo of The Draft Network, he unveiled the 49ers as one of the teams that spoke with Desjuan Johnson of Toledo, even encouraging fans and teams to “don’t sleep on” the interior defender with 14.5 career sacks in a Rockets uniform.
The 49ers were one of 11 teams inquiring about Johnson per Melo including the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams and the Super Bowl representatives Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson already has ties to one member of the 49ers — as he suited up on defense alongside 2022 rookie cornerback Samuel Womack.
Johnson Already Has 1 Sack of a Top 5 Draft Pick
With Womack helping patrol the back of the Rockets’ defense, Johnson was able to use his 6-foot-3, 275-pound frame to penetrate offensive lines and pressure quarterbacks.
Of his near 15 career collegiate sacks, one of those came in the 2019 season against an eventual No. 2 overall pick of the NFL Draft: Zach Wilson, which was one of two delivered on the future New York Jets quarterback on September 28, 2019 in Toledo’s 28-21 victory. Johnson was one of three defenders who tied for second in tackles with six but shared the solo tackles lead with four. Womack ended that game with five stops and two solo tackles. Johnson’s sack of Wilson would be the only one from the ’19 season.
His numbers, though, increased from there along with his defensive snaps. Johnson delivered 2.5 sacks in the truncated 2020 season and then combined to deliver 10 in his final two college campaigns. He additionally tallied 135 combined tackles in ’21 and ’22.
This past season, Johnson produced five six-tackle outings — including three consecutive outings of hitting that mark from October 29 to November 15. He delivered a sack in seven of the Rockets’ 13 games.
Back to the East-West Shrine Bowl, one more scout got a glimpse of the unblockable nature Johnson displays: Cam Mellor of the College Football Network.
Desjuan Johnson is unstoppable! The @ToledoFB big man has put his name on the map with a great Shrine Bowl week!
He showcased the same quickness during practices as well while in Las Vegas:
💨💨 Desjuan Johnson wins QUICK
The big man from @ToledoFB with a strong showing today during the West practice at the @ShrineBowl
Meanwhile, one more draft evaluator gave Johnson a Justin Tuck comparison: Brett Kollman of “The Film Room” on You Tube.
I know some folks don’t have Toledo tape handy so just consider this your formal introduction to Desjuan Johnson (#1).
6’2″ 270 lb, 6t/3t that I compared a few days ago to sawed off Justin Tuck.
Great kid. Hails from Detroit, and I think Campbell would love him. Fits their mold
Though considered undersized, Johnson looks like a gift sleeper for defensive line coach Kris Kocurek — who has worked some magic in developing DLs who weren’t the biggest but became trench wreckers under him. Perhaps the 49ers will make another Rocket a late draft find.
Pac-12 Star Also Spoke With 49ers: Report
As of Friday, February 24, there have been two college football players who have chatted with the 49ers. The second such name hails from the nearby Pac-12 Conference.
Via Melo of TDN, linebacker Mohamoud Diabate of Utah had a “standout meeting” with the 49ers during the time of the Shrine classic.
The outside linebacker Diabate originally arrived to the Utes as a transfer from Florida, where he collected 170 career tackles including 10.5 for a loss for the Gators. He additionally delivered 5.5 sacks while in Gainesville. But he produced his most TFLs (13.5) and sacks (five) in his lone season with the Pac-12 champions.
Diabate is a towering defender at 6-foot-3, 227-pounds. The Draft Network gave him a fifth round value.