With their second pick in the fourth round, the Dallas Cowboys drafted safety Matt Johnson from Eastern Washington.
PFW:
Good-sized with a well-proportioned, toned build, Johnson is a tough, competitive, coachable strong safety with good linear athletic ability. Plays with and trusts his eyes. Drops downhill and supports the run aggressively — gets proper fits, runs the alley and takes effective angles. Effective in halves or thirds, can run with tight ends and has good hands to intercept (17 career interceptions). Smart, experienced four-year starter who made secondary calls. Struggles to man up receivers and shows average range and change of direction. Is not a violent striker and misses some tackles when he isn’t under control. Character player with a professional approach who has an intangible makeup and athletic skill set to make a roster and contribute on special teams.
UPDATES BELOW (with video)
Matt Johnson, S, (6-foot-5/8, 211 pounds) — He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 and 4.54 seconds. Johnson recorded a 38-inch vertical, a 10-foot-1 broad jump, a 4.07-second short shuttle and a 6.84-second three-cone. He also threw the bar up 18 times. Johnson, a first-team All-American in 2010, suffered a biceps injury that knocked him out for much of the 2011 season. However, Johnson surprised many by recovering quickly enough to have a great workout at his pro day. Since then, seven teams have brought him in for visits, and the Dolphins, Seahawks, Colts and Giants worked him out personally.
Safety Matt Johnson, who missed most of the season's second half with a torn biceps tendon, put on a show for scouts. The hard hitting run defender measured just over 6-feet and 211 pounds. His fastest 40 time clocked 4.54 seconds and Johnson's other marks included a vertical jump of 38.5 inches and 18 reps on the bench.