“He is a phenomenal human being first and foremost,” Hightower said. “Just in terms of his attention to detail, we had pop quizzes [Saturday morning]. He stood up in the room and got all of his answers 100 percent correct. So it shows me from a football standpoint that he’s dialed in.”
Hightower shared a story with reporters that reflects Johnson’s character and leadership. The two were the last to leave a special teams meeting when Johnson paused to collect the water bottles left behind by teammates.
“It showed me a little bit about the man,” Hightower said. “Some guys didn’t pick up their water bottles. He’s getting ready to go to the next meeting and he asks a question and as I’m walking out, he cleans up the water bottles. That just shows you that he wants things the way he wants it. He wants things tidy and he’s going to hold guys accountable. When I saw that, that’s just who he is. He didn’t like how the room looked. Guys had water bottles left, he picked them up, threw them in the trash and then went to his meeting.”
Even before the rookie minicamp, the Bears knew all about Johnson’s ability and leadership. An All-American quarterback at Port Neches-Groves High School in Texas, he was converted to running back as a college freshman and remained with the program despite playing alongside star Bijan Robinson, who was selected with the eighth pick in the first round of the draft by the Falcons.
After Johnson was chosen by the Bears, area scout John Syty raved about him, saying: “I don’t know if I’ve ever written a guy with higher character than him.”
“This is a young man who has some pretty special qualities just in terms of his leadership ability,” Syty added. “He’s someone we really feel can become a pillar in this organization for a really long time. I feel really strongly about this guy. There’s a level of ‘it’ factor to this kid the second he walks into the room.”
Hightower realized the Bears had landed a special player when his phone blew up after Johnson was drafted.
“You always know when you draft somebody,” Hightower said, “like when Ryan [Poles] picks him and you get like seven text messages from special teams coaches around the league, you know what, we made a great selection.
“You see this guy play football, he is as violent as they come. He can almost be a linebacker. The way he covers some kicks are outstanding. I think he can help us in that area for sure. And he’s a good running back as well.”
Johnson appeared in 47 games over four seasons…
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