Texas Football: Buccaneers should give Kirk Johnson a chance as a UDFA

One name to watch out of the Texas football program that would have to fly far under the radar to get a shot on an NFL roster is RB Kirk Johnson.

Two former members of the Texas football program have already been signed down as undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. Former Texas All-Big 12 honoree and center Zach Shackelford was signed down with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defensive end/edge rusher Malcolm Roach signed with a team back in his home state, the New Orleans Saints.

There were also three other former players out of the Texas Longhorns football program that were actually selected on day two and three of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Those three former Longhorns selected in the 2020 NFL Draft includes wide receiver Collin Johnson (165th overall in the fifth round to the Jacksonville Jaguars), safety Brandon Jones (70th overall in the third round to the Miami Dolphins), and wide receiver Devin Duvernay (92nd overall in the third round to the Baltimore Ravens).

But there are four other former Longhorns that remain without the opportunity to make an NFL roster, as it stands as of the afternoon of April 26. Those four Texas Exes includes running back Kirk Johnson, wide receiver John Burt, offensive guard Parker Braun, and linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch.

It feels like Braun and McCulloch are going to be signed in the NFL pretty soon, but the skill position players like Johnson and Burt might find it tougher to make it through to the next level.

What’s working in favor of both Burt and Johnson are specific skill sets that could still offer value at the next level and connections as former Longhorns that could be appealing to some teams. Burt has track level speed and a solid 6-foot-3 and 205 pound frame. All the physical tools and athleticism for Burt to succeed in the NFL is there, even if the proven production from his college career is not.

Moreover, the value that Johnson would offer is mostly unknown since he struggled with so many injury issues during his five-year career on the Forty Acres. When he was recruited as a four-star running back/athlete out of San Jose, CA, the brother of Collin Johnson, Kirk, was valued for his overwhelming force as the ball carrier, and surprising speed after his first cut.

Kirk has surprising pop and agility to his game (at least from limited offseason film and high school highlights) for his 6-foot and 215 pound frame. He was also one of the strongest of all the Longhorns in the running back room over the course of the last two years.

There were only 12 rushing attempts that Johnson got in total in his five years with the Longhorns. He amassed 59 rushing yards on those 12 carries, with no touchdowns in his college career.

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When the Longhorns were dealing with injury and depth issues in the running back room last offseason, head coach Tom Herman turned to the veteran Johnson for answers. But Johnson himself came down with the injury bug leading up through fall camp.

For much of spring camp last year, Johnson was getting snaps with the second team offense. He was excelling when given the opportunity in spring and fall camp scrimmages, but that was not able to translate in game action last season.

Now that Johnson has run out of eligibility in college, he will have a shot to at least prove himself at the next level. With all this rest time that he will have to recover his body given the halting of the sports world due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Johnson could have time to get right on his potential path to the NFL (if this is even where he intends to go after college).

Two potential landing spots seem intriguing that could look at Johnson as an undrafted free agent signing. The first would be with his brother, Collin, with the Jaguars. And the second is with Shackelford and the Buccaneers.

Landing alongside Collin would make sense with the teammate and family connection. The Jaguars also put an emphasis on upgrading at a number of the skill positions in the 2020 NFL Draft, which means that could still be looking for help at running back.

However, the more intriguing of the two landing spots would be the Buccaneers. Few teams around the NFL are as thin at running back as the Buccaneers. And they didn’t do a whole lot to address that positional need in the draft, as they waited until day two to get help at running back by selecting former Vanderbilt Commodore Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

The Buccaneers also have yet to take a flier out on many running backs with their latest undrafted free agent signings. Giving Johnson a shot alongside his former teammate in Shackelford doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility in Tampa Bay.

If Johnson is going to get a shot to make his way onto an NFL roster and finally prove that he can stay healthy over an extended period of time, then landing with one of two teams in Florida make the most sense. This should be a consideration as more and more undrafted free agents are signed around the NFL to cap the weekend.