Gophers’ Offensive Lineman Greg Johnson Leads the Way

Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), University of Minnesota offensive lineman Greg Johnson participated in 757 snaps during the 2025 season.

What was it like studying him?

Intense.

You should see my notes.

Grading offensive linemen is intricate to begin with⎯

But grading versatile offensive linemen is even that much more.

Johnson primarily played left guard.

But he also showed in a pinch that he could slide out to left and right tackle for one game each.

How did he do out there?

Surprisingly, he held his own. His inexperience showed, but he did a respectable job.

This is good news from an NFL perspective.

Why?

Such versatility is highly desirable at the next level.

High football IQ

Not only did Johnson’s football smarts pop on his game film as he moved around, but also when seeing how well he worked in concert with the rest of his offensive line.

They say that an offensive line should work like five fingers on a hand. This really applies to Johnson. I can’t say I’ve ever seen an offensive lineman who works so well in tandem with other offensive linemen before.

Regularly⎯

Johnson selflessly provided help to his fellow offensive linemen. He could be seen on a regular basis blocking more than one defender on a play.

It was impressive.

Johnson also showed off his football smarts by handling pretty much anything and everything defenses could throw at him. You name it, he succeeded a high percentage of the time.

Competitiveness

This is another trait that stands out about Johnson.

There is no quitting in this one.

This trait also helps Johnson still be able to “win” in situations when he otherwise would have gotten beat.

It’s not always pretty with Johnson, but it’s often effective.

Pass and run blocking

The way it looks on Johnson’s game film is that he is a better pass blocker than a run blocker.

Ironically⎯

That’s also how PFF graded him. I like how a grading service like this helps to confirm what I was seeing and the conclusion I was coming to on my own before I even looked.

2025 (PFF):

Pass blocking grade: 80.1

Run blocking grade: 73.4

Biggest limitations?

• Decent playing strength and anchor while pass blocking
• Decent playing speed out in space while run blocking

Not great.

Decent.

Johnson has functional playing strength and speed. But there were times when neither was good enough. Case in point with his strength: CAL’s #47 Aidan Keanaaina (6-foot-3, 320 pounds) gave him everything he could handle (and some).

Back to the future

I grew up as a fan of the Washington Redskins in the 1980’s and early 90’s, and one of the smartest and most versatile offensive linemen I ever saw play was Raleigh McKenzie. McKenzie played 16 seasons in the NFL for four teams.

That’s who Johnson reminds me of.

Not bad company.

#65 Greg Johnson 6-foot-6, 325 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2026 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First-Round prospect as of November 7, 2026

2025 game film evaluated: Buffalo, CAL, Rutgers, Ohio State, Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Oregon, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and New Mexico (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Worst game: vs. New Mexico

Best fits: 49ers and Broncos

2027 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Moves the meter. Captain type. Equally distributed frame. Long arms. Athletic. Flexible. Tough. Physical. Alert. Works to achieve leverage. Can get a little out of control or sloppy-looking at times. Active hands in pass pro. Can hold his own. Works to get hands under his opponent at the point of attack. Eventually hunkers down vs. bull rushes. Solid vs. “X” and loop stunts. Picked up on most delayed blitzes. Controlled spin moves. Good combo blocks and double teams. Tended to make blocks on screen passes. Inconsistent run sustain. Able to make two blocks on the same run play at the first and second level. Aggressive streak comes out on pancake blocks (12x). Hit and miss in space, but when he connects, he connects.

What to watch for during the 2026 college football season

1. How does he look vs. bull rushes?

2. Sustaining run blocks?

3. How does he look out in space?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as appearing as a guest on ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and Fearless with Jason Whitlock. Featured in USA Today. For more information, visit whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.