“They always showed up ready to practice,” Mahon recalled this week. “You could always count on that, and they always gave it their all. But they’re also one of one themselves. And I mean, they just have big smiles. They seem like they love what they’re doing, and their personalities were always contagious, and I think that’s led them to being successful. They’re just good kids to be around — fun kids to be around.
“They’ve always led by example, and I appreciated that.”
Johnson ran for 1,002 yards in eight games as a senior for the Big Blue and made the All-GMC first team in 2021. At 6-foot, 225 pounds, he ran for 2,779 yards and 30 touchdowns in three seasons at Iowa, where he was named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year and a consensus All-American last fall.
He is considered one of the top five running backs available in a draft loaded with talented players at that position, though it remains to be seen whether that means he hears his name called in the first round Thursday night or in the second or third round Friday night.
While Johnson made a quick impact with the Hawkeyes and became a star, Verdon followed a slightly different path. He began his high school career at Cincinnati Moeller before finishing at Hamilton, his home district school. He was an All-GMC defensive back and played quarterback in 2020 for the Big Blue before signing with Iowa State.
The Cyclones made him a full-time defensive back, and he ended up being a two-year starter and All-Big 12 honoree as a big-hitting safety (6-4, 220).
“The thing that’s neat about Malik is that he played quarterback at Moeller and didn’t play free safety until he stepped foot at Hamilton,” Mahon said. “We thought he was an elite defender, and to see that come to fruition is very special.”
While they played on opposite ends of the Cy-Hawk Trophy rivalry in college, Mahon said Jonson and Verdon have a lot in common.
“I think both of them are exceptional athletes for how big they are,” he said. “I mean, they are large athletes that can move, and I think that’s what makes them special. And they’ve always been very reliable and trustworthy as far as making sure they’re at practice, and you can trust them in school.
“They’re just reliable guys checking a lot of good boxes.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Ben Sauls is another name to know heading into draft weekend.
Whether or not he is drafted, the Tippecanoe grad seems like a lock to get a shot with an NFL team after a record-breaking career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he displayed an accurate and strong left leg.
He made the Pro Football Focus All-America team after hitting 21 of 24 field goals as a senior last fall and finished his career with 522 points for the Panthers. He went 52 for 64 in three seasons as Pitt’s full-time place-kicker and was the Panthers’ kickoff specialist for four years.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
At Tipp, Sauls not only made All-Ohio first team as a kicker but excelled as a punter and was an all-state soccer player who helped the Red Devils win their first state championship.
Johnson is No. 44 overall in pre-draft rankings from The Athletic, No. 57 according to PFF and ranked No. 64 by ESPN.
Verdon is 270th overall in PFF’s rankings while former Alter High School quarterback Connor Bazelak is 347th, and Sauls ranks 361st.
The Athletic ranks Johnson as the No. 2 running back while Verdon is that site’s No. 19 safety prospect.
Bazelak is the No. 19 quarterback after spending three seasons at Missouri, one at Indiana and two at Bowling Green.
Northmont grad Jestin Jacobs, who played college football at Iowa and Oregon, is the 84th-ranked linebacker while Middletown’s Cheiksaliou Fall (California) is No. 203 at “edge.”
Trotwood-Madison grad Jaison Williams is No. 77 at offensive tackle after being a multi-year starter at Youngstown State, and Chaminade Julienne grad Shane Cokes is No. 104 at defensive tackle after graduating from Dartmouth and playing two seasons for coach Deion Sanders at Colorado.
Michael Brown-Stephens of Springfield is the No. 258 receiver prospect after splitting this college career between Minnesota and South Florida, Lakota West’s David Afari (Miami University and Northern Colorado) is No. 85 at running back, and Lakota East’s Avi McGary is No. 267 at safety after playing at Bowling Green.
Although he did not make The Athletic rankings for kickers, Greenon grad Nathan Hawks is hoping to find an NFL team after kicking for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The draft begins Thursday night in Green Bay with the first round. The second and third rounds will be held Friday night, and the event will conclude Saturday with rounds 4-7.
As soon as it is over, hundreds of players who aren’t drafted will sign free-agent contracts or get offers to try out for clubs.
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