🏈 Johnson Selected by Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 NFL Draft

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas linebacker Kyron Johnson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon.

Johnson was the 181st overall pick and the second pick of the sixth round. He is the first Jayhawk to be selected since Hakeem Adeniji was picked 180th overall in the 2020 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnson is the first Jayhawk to be taken by the Eagles since cornerback JaCorey Shepherd was picked by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.

β€œIt’s an exciting moment,” Johnson told Philadelphia reporters on a Zoom call. β€œI’m willing to play wherever the coaches want to put me. I’m just ready to play. I did have a little bit of sense (the Eagles could pick me) because my agent was talking to me about them, but you never know how the draft will play out.”

Johnson, a season captain for Kansas last season, had a distinguished five-year career for the Jayhawks that culminated in a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season as a super-senior. He was also an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2020 as a senior.

Last season, Johnson led the Kansas defense with 8 Β½ tackles-for-loss and 6 Β½ sacks on the season. He also forced four fumbles, which ranked third in the Big 12, while his 6 Β½ sacks ranked seventh in the conference.

Johnson, who played defensive end last season for the Jayhawks in his final campaign, led all defensive linemen in the Big 12 with 61 total tackles. He finished his Kansas career with 193 total tackles, 12 Β½ sacks and 22 Β½ tackles-for-loss.

In 2020, Johnson played outside linebacker for the Jayhawks and tied for second on the team with 42 total tackles, including 4 Β½ tackles-for-loss. He also had three sacks and one pass breakup, in addition to a forced fumble. As a junior in 2019, Johnson started all 12 games for Kansas at linebacker and finished with 55 tackles, 5 Β½ tackles-for-loss and one sack.

All total, Johnson played in 57 career games for Kansas with 39 starts. He never missed a game for the Jayhawks over his five seasons.