A blazing 40 time and one of the best broad jumps at the position has Johnson turning heads

UH's Johnson continues to impress, grow as cornerback

UH's Johnson continues to impress, grow as cornerback
Isaiah Johnson went from catching passes to defending them. Getty Images.

"I feel like it's more complex in the mind too. For me, I like beating people mentally before physically."

Isaiah Johnson used to play wide receiver for the Houston Cougars and halfway through his career he found his true football calling. Switching from catching passes to defending them, Johnson sets his sights and mind on the NFL.

"I personally like corner better," Johnson said at the NFL Scouting Combine over the weekend. "You know everybody has their different likes. For me, corner is better because I like to compete and I feel like it's more fun to stop somebody from doing something they want to do rather than me just going and trying to do something."

All he does is dissect film. He takes it home with him on his tablet. Even makes a special trip to the football facility to watch it on the big screen. He enjoys it and knows it is a necessity.

"I was a big film study guy," he said. "So I studied formations studied route concepts - studied what people do and how they like to do it and that was a big thing for me especially in the fast conference that we had to you have to dissect and learn so fast what other people are doing to get a jump on it. I had to study and make sure I knew they were going to do before it happened."

Don't let the smarts fool you, he isn't all brains. Standing six feet two inches tall and weighing in at 208 pounds Johnson skews towards the high end of height-weight at the position. Teams like his physical stature.

"They love my length," he said. "They love my ability to come up and tackle. They love my ability to cover."

He's not through growing at corner either.

"Just because I played the position for two years they know I have a higher ceiling than where I'm at right now. They feel like I can fit into multiple schemes. They just really want to see what I can do and see my max potential that way they know how I fit in their scheme."

While the NFL career is just starting, the 2018 Human Resources and Development major already knows what he'd like to do when he finishes up beating NFL wideouts physically and mentally.

""Actually after doing this and just experiencing the real world and seeing how things are I'd rather get into coaching," he said. "Just to affect the future generation try to help them find the love for the game all over again."

We know coach Johnson is going to be a great one in the film room.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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