NFL Draft: Seven rounds came and went; see how many Sacramento-area players were drafted
In the fast-forward business that is the NFL, yards and points are in abundance.
And come NFL Draft time, there is always a need for stoppers to help slow and stall the pace of dominating offenses.
On Saturday, two Sacramento-area products had their names called as years of preparation and hopes and dreams turned into reality. USC linebacker Cameron Smith of Granite Bay High School fame went in the fifth round to the Minnesota Vikings. In the seventh round, Arizona defensive tackle P.J. Johnson of Burbank roots was selected by the Detroit Lions.
Along with Alabama tackle Jonah Williams, the one-time Folsom star picked in the first round by Cincinnati, the regional NFL draft haul was three.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Smith set tackling and weight-lifting records at Granite Bay, became a four-year starter at USC, where he set more tackling career standards, and was delighted to land with the Vikings.
He was the team’s first defensive pick of the 2019 draft.
The 6-4, 335-pound Johnson had fun with the draft on social media, posting comments that he was the best defensive tackle available, his lone season at Arizona offering compelling proof of production.
Waiting for phone calls after on-campus Pro Day workouts and visits to teams across the country made for an anxious three days for Smith and Johnson. The first round of the draft was Thursday with rounds 2-3 on Friday and rounds 4-7 on Saturday.
“It’s been a long weekend, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face,” Smith said in a teleconference call with Minnesota media. “Just excited and can’t wait to get there.”
Like Smith, Johnson said the draft is a family deal since family was involved in the process since about the time the lads could slip on shoulder pads.
“Dream come true,” Johnson said.
Smith and Johnson overcame injuries and ailments in college. Both were exhaustively interviewed, studied, evaluated. Both are known as relentless competitors, in practice and games, and both are known as good teammates.
Smith overcame knee injuries and elected to play four years out of Trojans loyalty and to improve. He has no regrets.
“I felt like I had a lot to work on,” Smith said on why he played his senior season, though he was a projected pick had he come out following his junior season. “I felt like I left high school early (as a mid-year graduate), and I felt like I was rushing things. I didn’t want to look back and think that I rushed out of college.”
Johnson initially accepted a scholarship to Sacramento State. He underwent an emergency appendectomy in his freshman season in 2015, something he said, “I thought was going to kill me, it was that painful.”
Johnson had a tumor removed from his right leg in 2016. He transferred to City College of San Francisco, seeking a fresh start, then landed at Arizona, where he was a fan and team favorite, a big man with a big personality.
Johnson said he has seen death up close during his upbringing in rough parts of south Sacramento. He saw drive-by shootings. He lost friends to gun violence. He wanted football to be a way out.
Johnson played one season at Arizona, recording 31 tackles and 8.5 for loss, including three sacks, in 10 games as a junior in 2018.
Johnson has two young children and a lot to play for beyond pride. Smith is also mature beyond his years. He looked like a man in high school with a full beard, and he was twice named a team captain by teammates at USC for his leadership.
And, Smith dabbles in wine, which isn’t the general stereotype for such a rough-and-tumble tackler.
“I just thought it was fascinating, what goes into a glass,” Smith said. “I remember looking at people and they were ordering wines. It’s an off-the-field interest that I think is cool.
“In the last year and a half or so, I didn’t find myself drinking that much wine because all I focus on is football, but I think the science part of it that goes into it is really fascinating and really cool. The agriculture part and farming is fascinating to me.”
So is football.
Smith was enlightened by a pre-draft discussion he had with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The prevailing theme was it doesn’t matter when one gets drafted. It matters what one does after signing.
Dru Samia was drafted in the fourth round by Minnesota, an offensive lineman out of Oklahoma who played high school ball at San Ramon Valley in Danville before graduating from River City High in West Sacramento.
Browning, Sac State’s Lindsey sign free-agent deals
The draft pool is so deep and vast there are always a flood of players who don’t get picked.
But scores of players sign rookie free-agent deals. Jake Browning, a national record-setting passer at Folsom and a four-year starter at Washington, signed with Minnesota.
Sac State receiver Andre Lindsey signed a free-agent deal with Kansas City.
Those with local roots expecting to do so include: UC Davis receiver Keelan Doss, Wyoming defensive end Carl Granderson of Grant, Sac State safety Mister Harriel of Antelope, UNLV linebacker Bailey Laolagi of Folsom, Cal linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk of Roseville and San Diego State defensive end Anthony Luke of Woodcreek and American River College.
This story was originally published April 27, 2019 at 5:54 PM.