Zion Johnson's football journey can't be labeled as a traditional story shared during the NFL Draft scouting process. The 6-foot-3, 312-pound guard didn't start playing the sport until his senior year of high school, and consequently, he failed to receive a single FBS scholarship offer as a zero-star recruit in his home state of Maryland. But the circumstances didn't perturb Johnson.
After graduating high school, he attended FCS program Davidson, where he played both guard and tackle for two seasons. Johnson then transferred up north to Boston College, and from there, he further developed his body and craft and ultimately earned all-ACC honors for three consecutive campaigns. Not only is Johnson a late-bloomer, but he's also a projected first-round pick in mock drafts. And he can still recall who first recommended football to him.
"It actually was my bus driver. When golf season was over, I'd be on the bus and the driver would say to me, 'You're a pretty big kid, why don't you try out for the football team, and see how it goes?'" Johnson explained to The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. "I mulled over it, thought about it. But I was pretty skeptical -- because I was coming in so late, I thought that everyone had the advantage over me.
"But my mom -- and the values she's taught me -- was really a big reason why I ended up playing... [My first few practices] were definitely rough. I was 225 pounds playing offensive line... I wasn't as strong as other guys, wasn't in the weight room... So, I really had to adjust and recreate my body in order to play football... Honestly, I didn't have expectations [at Davidson]. I hadn't been in the sport for so long. I just knew I was playing a game that was fun to me..."
Johnson, who participated in NFL Combine workouts last month, is currently listed as the top-ranked guard and 32nd overall prospect on the Pro Football Focus draft board. The 22-year-old served as the Eagles' starting left guard in 2021, and according to PFF's grading system (20-percent snap minimum), he ranked 16th out of 348 total guards in run-blocking and 28th in pass-blocking. Johnson finished his collegiate career with a trip to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
The entire football conversation between Johnson and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.