When Jermaine Johnson visited New York and the Jets, head coach Robert Saleh made the pass rusher a promise.
That promise was satisfied on Thursday night in what was widely regarded as the steal of the first round, with Gang Green trading up to grab the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Once the deal and the draft selection were sealed, Saleh called Johnson to remind him of his promise.
“It was awesome,” Johnson said. “He said ‘What did I tell you when you left my office?’ I said ‘That you guys would come and get me.’ He was like, 'I didn't lie, we came and got you. We've been trying to get you all night.' It was pretty awesome.”
Johnson, coming off an impact season in his lone year at Florida State, was curiously falling down the draft board as the first round moved past the top 10, where New York had already made both of its picks. But general manager Joe Douglas stayed on the phone, trying to pull off a move to allow them to jump in and grab Johnson, who Saleh promised they would take. Douglas found a suitor in the Titans, and Johnson wound up where he was told he would be, and that mattered way more to him than how long it took to get there.
“I knew that I was going to be where I was supposed to be, and sure enough, I'm with the Jets now,” Johnson said. “I'm where I'm supposed to be.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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