{mosimage}Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make, I'm absolutely in love with quarterback Josh Johnson of the San Diego Toreros. Ever since my good friend Jon Bresnen watched him play against Morehead State this season and told me about him, I was convinced I had to see this kid for myself. Bresnen raved about Johnson's flawless ball placement and told me that many of his receivers dropped balls that were placed right on the money. As much as he was raving about Johnson, you would think Bresnen had just witnessed the best game of the season for the immensely gifted signal-caller. A quick look at the stats and I realize that he watched Josh Johnson turn in one of his worst performances of the season. He only completed 14 of his 27 pass attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Those are certainly not the worst numbers I've ever seen by any means, but not the best either. Johnson also rushed 16 times for 74 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Those numbers are overall, pretty impressive if you ask me.

My first chance to watch Johnson came on January 19^th, when the 83^rd East-West Shrine game was being held to display the nation's top college football prospects to NFL scouts and general managers. After watching Johnson in the East-West Shrine game, I came away not only impressed, but amazed. He immediately became my favorite quarterback prospect in the 2008 NFL Draft and it was the first time I had gotten to watch him play. That sounds pretty crazy, but it is a testament to how highly I regard the Oakland, California native.

The first thing that impressed me about Johnson are his nearly flawless football fundamentals. His footwork in the pocket is some of the best I have ever seen. It's such a natural and fluid motion when he drops back to throw and he really makes it look effortless. His footwork reminds me of Marcus Vick, the former Virginia Tech signal-caller. Say what you want about Vick's off-the-field issues, but man did that kid have some beautiful footwork in the pocket. Footwork is entirely different from scrambling ability, but Johnson is blessed with the ability to do both with tremendous ease. When he runs in the open field, you can't help but think of Vince Young. His strides are so long, so fluid, and so effortless, that the only person I can even compare him to is the fleet-footed Texan. I'm well-aware those are lofty comparisons, but this kid's performance in the East-West Shrine game did more than dazzle me. Johnson reeled in Offensive MVP honors, completing 5 of his 11 passes for 78 yards and rushing three times for an eye-gouging 91 yards. That's a little more than 30 yards per carry, which is simply astronomical. When he runs in the open field, his 6'3", 200 pound frame glides across the field so effortlessly and so beautifully it reminds you of a gazelle gracefully coasting across the African Plains.

Just how good are Josh Johnson's numbers? Let's put it this way, they are jaw-dropping. Sure they came against Division 1-AA competition(otherwise known as the Football Championship Subdivision), but his numbers are so outstanding they are hard to ignore. In the 2007 campaign, Johnson led the Football Championship Subdivision in three major offensive categories: passing efficiency(198.3), total offense(371.4 ypg.), and points responsible for(27.4 ppg.). On top of those mind-numbing statistics, Johnson also ranked in the top 10 in FCS in total passing yards(2,988) and passing yards per game(298.8 ypg.). Perhaps the most impressive statistic that Johnson posted this past season was his near flawless touchdown to interception ratio. He tossed 43 touchdown passes this season, while only throwing one interception. A 43:1 touchdown to interception ratio is honestly the best ratio I've ever heard of in my life. If somebody has heard of better, be sure to give me a call, because I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. Just how good is Johnson, you ask? Well you might want to start with former San Diego head coach, Jim Harbaugh. "He's the best quarterback in college football, period," said Harbaugh. Can you say Troy Smith, Brady Quinn? "I've watched Troy Smith play," said Harbaugh. "Our guy's better." Those are lofty words of praise from the current Stanford head coach and I wouldn't have believed him either until I watched Johnson in the East-West Shrine game.

Now I wouldn't go so far as to say Josh Johnson is better than Brady Quinn or Troy Smith, but let's just put it this way, I think this kid is going to be a phenomenal pro quarterback in the NFL.

If I can't convince you of how good Josh Johnson is, maybe one of the most beautifully crafted sports passages I have ever read in my life will. After I read Don Norcross's article on Josh Johnson on the San Diego-Union Tribune, I simply could not believe my eyes. It was pure poetry. Norcross described one of Johnson's scrambles against Yale in 2006 when he wrote,

"From the USD 46, Johnson drops back against Yale, feels pressure from the blindside and darts up the middle. Seven yards past the line of scrimmage, five defenders converge. Johnson puts on a 360-degree spin move, escapes, then veers left toward the sideline. He's in the open field now. Tightroping the chalk, he somehow high-steps a tackler at the 12, stays inbounds by inches, then beats the converging safety, diving, ball first, into the front corner of the end zone."

So there you have it, Don Norcross's description of the man labeled as the "Golden Goose" by Jim Harbaugh. That paragraph above dances through your mind as gracefully as Johnson dances around defenders on the gridiron.

Where exactly will the "Golden Goose" be landing? I have no kind of inside information on that, but I do know Johnson has been steadily rising up NFL Draft boards for months. CNNSI's Peter King wrote in a recent column that one NFL team ranked Johnson as a second round pick.

I'd say it's pretty much a definite that Johnson gets drafted anywhere from round 1 to round 3, depending on how good his performance is this weekend at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. I don't know about you, but I'm putting my money on the "Golden Goose" to set the combine on fire and live up to his smooth nickname.

Feel free to e-mail Wade at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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