KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oregon edge rusher DJ Johnson was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers on Friday with the No. 80 overall pick.
Johnson is the second Duck off the board, after cornerback Christian Gonzalez went No. 17 overall to the New England Patriots on Thursday night. It marks the 54th time in program history Oregon has had multiple picks in the same NFL Draft, and 20th since 2000.
The Panthers traded up 13 spots with the Pittsburgh Steelers and gave up a fourth-round pick to select Johnson with their third pick of the draft. Johnson was Carolina’s first defensive pick after taking quarterback Bryce Young (Alabama) first overall and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss) in the second round.
Johnson led Oregon with a career-high six sacks in 2022, tied for fifth-most in the Pac-12, and he was second among Ducks with a career-high 8.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-4 edge rusher racked up two multi-sack games and registered a TFL in seven of 11 games played.
A Sacramento native, Johnson finished his six-year collegiate career with 67 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Johnson returned to defense full-time in 2022 after displaying impressive versatility as a tight end in 2020 and a two-way player in 2021. Johnson began his collegiate career at Miami (Fla.) in 2017 before transferring to Oregon.
Johnson becomes the sixth Duck ever to be drafted by the Panthers, and first since Kenjon Barner in 2013. He joins Chad Cota (1995) as Oregon defensive players to be taken by Carolina, and is UO’s second-highest Panthers draftee behind only Jonathan Stewart (2008, No. 13).
Oregon 2023 NFL Draft Picks
DB Christian Gonzalez – Round 1, Pick 17 (New England Patriots)
OLB DJ Johnson – Round 3, Pick 80 (Carolina Panthers)
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Oregon Athletics…