JJ #11

Jermaine Johnson II

Defensive End · Florida State

A Pro Bowl edge rusher whose path ran through junior college and Netflix's 'Last Chance U' before a torn Achilles slowed his ascent.

Jermaine Johnson II took one of the more unconventional roads to first-round draft status, going from a non-qualifying high school prospect through junior college to a decorated season at Florida State. After a Pro Bowl 2023 campaign, a torn Achilles set him back, and he has spent recent seasons working to recapture that form.

★ Pro Bowl selection (2023 season)

★ First-team All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Florida State (2021)

★ First-round pick, 26th overall, in the 2022 NFL Draft

★ Featured on Netflix's 'Last Chance U' during his junior college career

Path to the league

Johnson, an Eden Prairie, Minnesota native, didn't qualify academically for a Division I scholarship out of high school and instead began his college career at Independence Community College in Kansas, a stretch of his life featured on Netflix's 'Last Chance U.' After transferring to Florida State for the 2021 season, he earned first-team All-American honors and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award after racking up 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. He was drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Career highlights

Johnson broke out with a Pro Bowl selection during the 2023 season, recording 7.5 sacks and seven passes defensed. His trajectory was interrupted in September 2024 when he tore his right Achilles tendon, an injury that required surgery and an extended rehab process.

2025 season recap

In his return from the Achilles injury, Johnson posted 43 tackles, including 3.0 sacks, and two passes defensed across 14 games in 2025, a step back from his Pro Bowl form as he continued working back to full strength. His most notable game came against Denver, where he sacked Bo Nix in the fourth quarter.