University of Kentucky cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the National Football League Draft on Friday night in Nashville, Tenn. and safety Mike Edwards followed as a third-round choice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Johnson, a junior-college transfer who is a native of Gary, Indiana, had an outstanding two-year stint with the Wildcats, starting his final 18 games with 64 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, 12 pass breakups, two blocked kicks, one interception and one forced fumble. As a senior, Johnson started all 13 games for the Wildcats with 23 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble.
The 6-foot-1 cornerback culminated his career with a strong performance in Kentucky’s Citrus Bowl win over Penn State. On top of a key interception in the third quarter, Johnson recorded four tackles and a pass breakup in helping secure UK’s first postseason victory since 2009 and first 10-victory season in 41 years.
The strong season led him to accept an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he impressed the scouts during bowl week workouts and made four tackles in the game. His draft stock continued to rise after charting noteworthy measurable at the NFL Combine.
Prior to his time at Kentucky, Johnson spent two seasons (2014 and ’15) at Garden City Community College where he was second-team All-Kansas Community College Conference recording 35 tackles, five interceptions and one fumble record. Johnson, who did not play in 2016 to focus on academics, was a four-star prospect by 247Sports as the No. 2 safety and No. 43 overall player in the junior college ranks. The cornerback was one of many Wildcats to graduate in December as he earned a degree in community and leadership development.
Johnson was taken with the 22nd pick, the 54th overall of the 2019 Draft. He is the first Kentucky player drafted by Houston since the franchise was founded in 2002. Two Wildcats have played for the Texans, including safety Marlon McCree (2003-04) and quarterback Shane Boyd (2007). Johnson is the first UK cornerback taken in the draft since Trevard Lindley in 2010.
