‘My childhood dream has come true.’ Former Central High star Jaylon Johnson goes to the Bears
Jaylon Johnson was expecting to hear his name called in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
That didn’t happen.
He didn’t have to wait long on the second day of the draft.
The former Central High star was selected by the Chicago Bears with the 50th overall pick in Round 2 on Friday.
Johnson said he’s not going to forget the NFL teams that bypassed him in the first round.
“I always have a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “That’s just who I am. I’m motivated and keyed in to my motivation now, and just moving forward by proving doubters wrong and also providing for my family.”
Johnson fulfilled a goal he set out in high school.
“It’s really about setting goals and knocking them down,” he said last month. “It came down to wanting to go to the NFL when I got into college. It was another thing I wrote down and another thing I’m crossing off my list. It was just something I told myself what I was going to do, and God has been blessing me to do it.”
Johnson is recovering from surgery for a torn labrum and is expected to be ready for the NFL season.
He declared early for the 2020 draft (skipping Utah’s bowl game) and was projected to go in the first two rounds; several boads had him listed as a first-round consideration.
At Central, Johnson was a four-star recruit by Rivals and Scout and was named to the US Army All-American Bowl.
He was a second-team All-American at Utah last season as a junior and was a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection.
He finished his collegiate career with seven interceptions and 28 career passes defended. The 21 career pass breakups ranked tied for 10th all-time at Utah. He is also a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic scholar.
Next up for Johnson is playing in the NFL and on Soldier Field.
“It feels good just knowing my childhood dream has come true,” he said. “All my hard work paid off. I just feel great to just continue my next journey of my life.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 5:36 PM.
