‘I want to wreak havoc’: Eagles rookie Kyron Johnson is embracing his role with selflessness

Over the past five years, Stephanie and Broderic Johnson regularly made the eight-hour trek from Fort Worth, Texas, to Lawrence, Kan., to watch their son, Kyron, play linebacker and defensive end for the University of Kansas football team.

The Jayhawks weren’t very good during that span. Kansas went 9-48 with a 3-41 Big 12 record, and Johnson played for three head coaches. Despite the team’s ineptitude, Stephanie and Broderic made sure Kyron could see them in the bleachers on game day. His parents — both athletes in college — served as extra levels of motivation.

By the end of his collegiate career, Johnson emerged from the struggling program with the Eagles selecting him in the sixth round of April’s NFL draft. He was the only player from Kansas who was drafted.

“It was surreal,” his mother said in a phone interview. “Everybody is so proud of him. His accomplishments are everybody’s joy and happiness within our family. It’s amazing how it’s transpired.”

Johnson, who is listed at 6-foot, 235 pounds, served as both an off-ball linebacker and a traditional edge rusher at Kansas. During his final season, he forced 40 quarterback pressures and had 5.5 sacks en route to earning All-Big 12 honors. Perhaps his most impressive stat: Over 655 snaps, Johnson did not commit a single penalty.

His stock skyrocketed ahead of the draft. Johnson stood out during the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., and he recorded a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash at Kansas’ pro day. Leading up to the draft, Johnson primarily worked out at APEC, a training facility based in Dallas under the guidance of 12-year NFL veteran and position coach Shaun Smith and director of performance Jacob Morales.

“Every single rep, KJ is going to go hard,” Smith said. “He goes fast no matter what. The speed is so intriguing, the way he’s so explosive. He plays with a lot of passion and he loves the game. Being in college for five years also helped him develop. Even though they might’ve not won a lot, he played tremendous enough to get recognized. What I’ve learned most about him is he’s determined. He wants to show he belongs in the NFL.”

Factoring in his speed and athleticism, Johnson figures to be a Day 1 contributor on special teams.

“Kyron had a very good career, not just in special teams but as a rusher, linebacker at Kansas — can’t take anything away from him for that,” said Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay. “If you get a guy that’s 235, that runs a 4.4, 4.39, that’s going to help out regardless in anything you do. He’s like an old soul. He wants to learn. He’s wide-eyed. He wants to get better in everything. He wants to test the veterans a little bit like that, which is also great.

“But it’s also him just understanding, you’ve got all these great athletic talents, let’s take these great athletic talents and put them towards [seeing] this type of block, you can beat it this way. ... It’s just little things where I can get him to play even faster. But that 4.4 speed that he has, you can’t teach speed, so that’s something you transfer that from speed to power.”

Besides recording impressive numbers during his predraft testing, Johnson also interviewed well in meetings, displaying enthusiasm in many of his conversations with scouts and executives, according to league sources. During a meeting with a Jets assistant at the Senior Bowl, the coach told Johnson he reminded him of an Eagles player because of his similar build and playing style. When asked about the moment, Johnson couldn’t recall the player involved, but according to a league source, the coach compared Johnson to Eagles linebacker Shaun Bradley, a key special-teams contributor who plays the same position on defense.

“He has a good group to learn from,” Clay said. “There are a lot of guys that were in his shoes a year or two years ago that could help him grow and kind of speed up the process.”

Stephanie Johnson, who works as a project manager/scrum master, describes the second of her three sons as selfless and humble. During the draft party the Johnson family held at its home in Fort Worth, Kyron did his best to hide his emotions.

“It was so funny because he was with us in the living room the entire time,” his mother recalled. “Then for a couple of minutes, he disappeared into the hallway and took a call. It was very brief and he didn’t say anything when he got back in the room. All of a sudden, before I could question him, they called his name on the TV! It was one of those moments where everybody loses control. It’s a blessing that he was chosen and is able to continue what he enjoys doing.

“He didn’t let anything deter him from reaching his goals. When he made his decision to stay at Kansas for his fifth year, it’s a testament to the type of person he is. The guys at KU looked up to him for his leadership. He set the tempo; even though they weren’t winning, he was winning. I remember one time after a practice he called me and described how he told his teammates, ‘Just because we’re not winning, doesn’t mean you’re supposed to come out and not give it your all.’ He could’ve left for the transfer portal, but he didn’t. He loved his team.”

The Eagles are hoping that type of determination and effort from Johnson is reflected on the field. During his introductory press conference, Johnson offered a strong first impression.

“I’m just making sure I know the defense as quickly as possible, so I can get on the field as quickly as possible,” he said. “Special teams is a key component in football. I want to be the dude that you see fly down. When it comes to special teams – just say Kyron Johnson. I want to wreak havoc.”