Cam Johnson at DE?

[NinerSickness]

There are a ton of pass-rushers in this draft I like, but I want the Niners to hold onto Cam Johnson. His biggest red flag was always the work ethic; but if he works hard, the guy's a quick, powerful player.

With a year under his belt, could you see Cam contributing at DE? Maybe take Dobbs' spot on the depth chart?

The guy is about to turn 23 in May. I think he might have a little Ahmad Brooks in him (although I hope he gets it together a lot sooner than Brooks did).

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I like Johnson, and I'm hoping we hold onto him too. He's got the talent if he can keep his head on right, and with guys like Justin Smith, Ray Mac, Willis, and Bowman on the front-seven with him, hopefully their work ethic and dedication will rub off on him. This locker room has a ton of character, so hopefully we can turn some folks around.

I see Johnson as a DE in nickel packages. I'm not sure he has the size to play much on base downs or the speed/agility to drop into coverage on a regular basis. But as a guy to rotate in, I think he's got some potential.