Duke Johnson

Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Browns in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft. He played college football at Miami (FL).

Early years

Johnson attended Miami Norland Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he played football and ran track. He was coached by Daryle Heidelberg. As a sophomore, Johnson ran for 1,540 yards and 25 touchdowns. In his junior year, he led Norland to a 13–2 record and state runner-up. After beating the Sammy Watkins-led South Fort Myers 44–28 in the semifinals,^[1] Norland lost 44–34 to the unbeaten Tampa Jefferson in the class 3A final.^[2] During his senior year, Johnson compiled 1,957 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, 14 receptions for 232 receiving yards and three touchdowns, three kickoff returns and one punt return for scores, as he led Miami Norland to 15–0 finish and state Class 5A championship. In the championship game against Wakulla, he scored five touchdowns.^[3]

He was also on the school's track & field team, where he was a standout sprinter and long jumper. He placed 5th in the long jump event at the 2010 GMAC Qualifiers, with a jump of 6.60 meters.^[4] In 2011, he placed 4th in the 100 meters at the 3rd Annual Miramar Invitational, recording a career-best time of 10.62 seconds.^[5] He finished 3rd in the 200 meters at the FHSAA 3A District 16, with a time of 22.31 seconds.^[6]

He was considered the best all-purpose running back recruit by Rivals.com.^[7]

College career

In his freshman season, Johnson rushed for 947 yards on 139 carries with ten touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an additional touchdown during a game vs. Virginia. He also played a major role on special teams, where he returned 28 kicks for two scores.^[8][9] In 2012, Duke Johnson won both the ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards. He is the first Miami Hurricane to win both awards. In 2013, Duke Johnson joined the Miami indoor track team, posting a personal-best time of 6.92 seconds in the 60 meters at New Mexico Classic. Johnson's sophomore campaign with the Hurricane's football team came to an abrupt end November 2, 2013, when he broke his ankle against arch-rival Florida State.^[10] Miami lost that game 41–14.^[11] Through eight games, Johnson rushed for 920 yards on 145 carries, with six touchdowns. He also had four catches for 77 yards.^[9] Johnson returned from the injury his junior season in 2014 to play in all 13 games. During the season, he passed Ottis Anderson to become the Hurricanes' all-time rushing yards leader.^[12] He ended the year with 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns.

After his junior season, Johnson declared for the 2015 NFL Draft.^[13] He finished his college career with 3,519 rushing yards on 526 carries with 26 touchdowns.

Career statistics

Professional career

On May 1, 2015, Johnson was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 77th pick of the 2015 NFL draft.^[14] He signed a four-year contract with the Browns on June 16, 2015, with the Cleveland Plain Dealer estimating the value of his contract at $3.184 million.^[15]

2015 season

Johnson suffered a hamstring injury on August 1, the first day of the Browns' training camp.^[16] He sat out the next 10 days, and the team said he would not play in the first preseason game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 13.^[17] During Johnson's first pre-season appearance he was diagnosed with a concussion and was removed from the game.^[18] On September 13, 2015, Johnson made his NFL debut, running for 22 yards on 7 carries against the New York Jets.^[19] On October 4, 2015, Johnson caught 9 passes for a career-high 85 yards and his first touchdown of his career.^[20] Johnson caught a 34-yard touchdown.^[21] On October 25, 2015, Johnson caught 7 passes for 73 yards against the St. Louis Rams.^[22] On November 1, 2015, Johnson recorded a 52-yards reception against the Arizona Cardinals.^[23] On November 5, 2015, Johnson scored his second touchdown of his career against the Cincinnati Bengals, a 12-yard reception.^[24] On December 13, 2015, Johnson ran for 78 yards on 13 carries against the San Francisco 49ers.^[25] On December 20, 2015, Johnson ran for a 39-yard gain against the Seattle Seahawks.^[26] Johnson caught a pass for 22 yards.^[27] Johnson finished the 2015 season with 379 rushing yards on 104 carries and 534 receiving yards on 61 receptions and two touchdowns.^[28] Johnson's 61 receptions are the 2nd-most by a Browns rookie, tied with wide receiver Greg Little.^[29] Among rookies, Johnson was ranked 12th in rushing yards and was 1 of 12 running backs to break 300 yards.^[30] Among rookies, Johnson ranked 1st in receptions and receiving yards among rookie running backs and 2nd in receptions overall, just under Oakland Raiders' Amari Cooper.^[31] Johnson was ranked 6th overall among rookies in receiving yards and was 1 of 6 rookies to break 500 yards receiving.^[32]

2016 season

n September 18, 2016, Johnson recorded a 28-yard reception against the Baltimore Ravens.^[33] On September 25, 2016, Johnson ran for 69 yards on 10 carries against the Miami Dolphins.^[34] On October 16, 2016, Johnson scored his first rushing touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.^[35] On October 30, 2016, Johnson caught 6 passes for a season-high 87 yards against the New York Jets.^[36] Johnson recorded a 32-yard reception.^[37]

References

External links

• Cleveland Browns profile
• Miami Hurricanes bio