Bears Draft Roschon Johnson: Dynasty Rookie Outlook (2023 Fantasy Football)

The 2023 NFL Draft is here! After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. This information shapes the outlook for rookies in 2023 and beyond. We’re going to have you covered throughout and following the 2023 NFL Draft to help you prepare for your fantasy football leagues. Next up for many will be dynasty rookie drafts. To help you prepare to make your dynasty rookie draft picks, let’s dive into Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft profile as well as Pat Fitzmaurice’s dynasty rookie draft outlook for Roschon Johnson.

Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Bears Draft Roschon Johnson

Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Thor Nystrom says about Roschon Johnson.

Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook & Player Comp

Player comparison: Brian Robinson Jr.

Power runner with a versatile skillset. Former quarterback. Team player. Shifted to running back without complaint, despite being stuck behind Bijan Robinson at his new position, and then played on most of Texas’ special teams units.

Straightforward running style – takes what is blocked for him, might get you a bit more. A tall back, Johnson gets a good vantage point of the line of scrimmage, and he uses that for a full-spectrum shot of his options.

He’s a patient runner who lets his linemen do their jobs. Strong short-area burst for a big fella, hits the hole with authority. One-cut power back in the vein of my comp Brian Robinson. Johnson has the footwork to make over-leveraged defenders miss in the hole. He also has the power to put them on their back if they don’t bring their lunch pails.

Johnson is tricky when he gets into the second and third levels. Defensive backs want no part of a battering-ram scenario with him, so often they’ll go low and try to dive-bomb his knees. Johnson has an answer for that: Numerous times in college, he leap-frogged such defenders and kept trucking upfield. Reliable – only one career fumble. Johnson doesn’t have the wear-and-tear that other collegiate backs enter the NFL with due to his situation behind Bijan Robinson.

Johnson showed a little more as a receiver in 2022, but at this time, he’s only a dump-off and run-after-the-catch guy in that regard. Johnson’s real utility on passing downs is in pass-pro. He’ll throw his body around and drop a linebacker. What he lacks in explosion, Johnson makes up for in efficiency. He projects as a strong complementary back with added special teams utility.

2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Roschon Johnson

Bijan Robinson wasn’t the only good running back toiling for the University of Texas for the last few years. Johnson, Bijan’s backup in Austin, is a powerful runner with a surprisingly diverse skill set.

The 6-0, 219 Johnson is a powerful downhill runner with quick feet and admirable patience. His physical style makes him a good candidate for early-down duty, but Johnson is a capable pass catcher as well. With 4.58 speed, Johnson isn’t particularly explosive. He didn’t get a lot of touches at Texas, topping out at 123 carries as a freshman, so it’s not clear how Johnson would fare in a larger role.

It’s slightly discouraging that Johnson fell into the fourth round of the NFL Draft when a lot of fantasy analysts expected him to be a Day 2 pick, but Johnson landed in a pretty good spot with the Chicago Bears, who have Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman at the top of their RB depth chart. Johnson might not be able to shove those guys aside, but with his NFL-ready game, he should be able to work his way into the Bears’ RB rotation as a rookie.

Johnson is worth consideration in the late second round of 1QB dynasty rookie drafts and in the third round of superflex drafts.