Lawrence Johnson, DB, SEMO | 2024 Hula Bowl Spotlight Zoom Interview

hi my name is Jimmy Williams with NFL draft diamonds and we are The Scouting staff for the hulao today I have with me one of the athletes who participated in that event this season his name is Lawrence Johnson he is a defensive back out of Southeast Missouri State nice to have you buddy nice nice to having me man Jimmy I thank I appreciate you hey uh dude uh awesome having you at the hola bowl of course representing SEMO uh you know being uh one of the leaders there uh very well established guy there in that secondary who we just felt was very efficient in what he did and um definitely deserved uh an Allstar invitation so uh Lawrence if you don't mind go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself uh tell me where you're from and then we'll start with the rest of this so go for it well um yeah my name Lawrence Johnson out of Southeast Missouri State um I'm from St Louis Missouri uh graduated in 18 yeah so gotcha so you graduated from Riverview Gardens there in St Louis yeah way back in the day obviously man because of covid and all this other stuff uh I think you're what like six years removed from from high school um so it's been a while um in my notes man I have that you um were a multiport athlete back in the day B basketball baseball and of course some football yeah and track in track yeah I got that one too I forgot to say it but uh anyways um yeah you dude you did a little bit of everything but go ahead and tell me about what it was like being a a high school athlete way back in the day way back in the day is six years a long time man it is but uh it was it was it was good it was like it really was I really played a lot of sports to um to just keep me out of trouble you know um the area that I'm from is you know it's not not much going on but um you know I was able to find uh ways to express uh positive ways to express you know myself and that's you know Sports was that um you know I wasn't at home much because I was at practice or had games or stuff so yeah it was it was good um like being able to have that companionship of different teammates from different sports and learn different things from different sports you know like you learn um life skills from All Sports and you know just being able to Dibble and Dabble in all the sports and learn all the key uh life skills that you learn from them I feel like that that really helped me gotta um and of course we had mentioned you did some track baseball basketball uh how long did you play those Sports before you ultimately decided to pursue football um so in high school I played I played basketball my freshman year and then I played like the first semester of my my senior year um and then uh my sore Junior I played baseball um I played baseball yeah and then my senior I ran track that's why I stopped playing basketball two Run Track and all four of those years I played football of course right right right um so um again dabbled in a little bit of everything which is fine I think uh my in my humble opinion uh guys that are still in high school they need to do that you know um I know some coaches don't necessarily want you to um remember back in the day there were a couple coaches at my high school that kind of fought over one guy um and so that's kind of how it happens at at you know at times but personally I feel like if you can do it it's going to help you as an athlete so um so again went to Riverview car Gardens there in St Louis um but ultimately ended up at SEO uh coming out of high school uh what was the recruiting like and what made you ultimately decide to go with SEMA um in all honesty my recruiting process was almost non-existent Jimmy like Simo was the only school that I talked to they were the only school that I ever talked to the only school to visit um but you know I don't I don't think that I don't think that's because of like my athletic ability I really just think because it's like the high school that I came from it was very under recruited um we didn't have many guys uh coming out at the time like so the year before I got to Simo I mean I got to review so 2013 um 2013 2014 um we had won like three games and then just like went on a losing streak for the rest of the season and then my freshman year we didn't win any games didn't score our first touchdown to the last game of the season and then my second year uh my second year was my first year on Varsity I played quarterback if you didn't know that I played quarterback all my life until college but um my sophomore year um we started we started scoring you know coming off the last year we started scoring points but we didn't win any games we won our first game and we won our first game in the last last game of the season you know in Missouri it's like a district system the playoff system it start off with districts everybody gets a district invitation and we won our first game in districts against the top C team and we hadn't won a game all year long um yeah right and then my third year we won like four games went like four and like four and six four and seven or something like that then my senior we had won eight games and we made it to District Championship but we lost um so yeah you know like you know I don't I don't really blame Scots for not really you know coming to my school because it's like you know they want to go to programs that's winning winning programs you know so I don't really blame them but I mean let's be fair too I mean you were also playing multiple positions and so it might have been along the lines of uh well I don't know I don't know what what to do with this guy um maybe uh maybe not a quarterback maybe I mean no no offense you know maybe uh you know we need to try and move thisy to a different position uh and really safety is what it is for you uh really I mean you were you know you ended up there at Simo uh an allamerican uh you know several you know several time all conference athlete and certainly found some success uh as you moved into uh you know your college days and ultimately finished up there so um let's go ahead and talked about you as a as an athlete as part of that defense there see Mo um talk about that defense and uh where you fit in um you know well back to our last topic you know I gotta give a shout out to coach to for giving me a shot you know nobody gave me a shot but um the defense at Simo is is is always been like the backbone of Simo um you know like they say uh they say offense win games but defense wins championships and I'm a two-time Championship conference Champion um uh my my my freshman year you know I was around some a good group of guys you know they knew how to lead on and off the field um they were hard-nosed guys rugged guys who like play through injuries type guys um talk crap on the field during the game but after the game you know it's all love you know so like good character guys who knew like uh what wins you know strong work ethic um being coachable disciplin Um Zack Hall is one of uh Buck Buchan Award winner 2018 Buck Buchan and award winner um I had a lot of guys uh barius Nidan he was a all FCS allamerican um DJ Freeman uh Clarence thoron Deion Richardson it was just a lot of guys that were like upper class man who like really knew what it took to win and um that was my freshman year uh so you know I kind of just um you know took took heed into what those guys were telling me um I knew how to follow and I feel like me knowing how to follow is how I became a good leader um I mean you um you did become obviously one of the leaders of that program team captain actually um and um amongst a lot of great talent there that uh is coming out this season I mean um thinking about guys like Dino hes Ryan floi dude is a free let's just be real you know people if they don't know him I mean he obviously you know is doing great in in his own right obviously playing against those guys um had to have you know obviously you know rub off somewhat too so talk about those guys real quick um yeah like you said man both of those guys are phenomenal players man uh like you said Ryan floi if you don't know who he is you living under a rock you know he's at the combine he's at a Senior Bowl he's going crazy man um yeah he was like the number one Jo receiver coming out of Jo uh yeah he doing great things now and Gino hes man the greatest the greatest running back I've ever played against uh you know all time seimo leading everything touchdowns rushing yards yards per yards per carry um yards at the contact like all those records even the conference records you know all the time overc everything um most points most uh touchdowns yards just everything you know uh so yeah man just being with those guys who are phenomenal players and those are the guys that I'm leading with you know it wasn't it wasn't as hard as you know people would think it would be you know because just everybody just wanted to be like us you know everybody wanted to be great athletes like we were great football players like we were so it was like it was easy to get guys to listen to follow what we had to say right um actually a lot of uh a lot of things happening actually uh for Simo um and uh really the the whole conference situation if we're being real because uh you know last season um you guys kind of merg with the big South um and so things got a little different you know you had different uh you know opponents that you're facing you know every other week um and so you you have that going on and then of course like we said I mean a lot of great talented players uh moving forward um what are we to expect from Simo um you know moving on from guys like yourself um I still expect great things from Simo you know like we uh I feel like we laid we laid the foundation for the guys at after us um those are good good guys good football players like uh Paxton delen great guy um great football player uh Bryce Norman we call him storman Norman he's one of the greatest I've ever played side alongside of um Joe edrick Lewis uh and these all these all are these all are guys man like you got Zack gig still there who was like the um Remington War the winner 2021 or 2022 you know like like I said you got guys um so you got guys with great talent um you got a good coaching staff who knows what it takes to win and knows how to get to their players um and then you got great leaders who know who know that it's more than about football they know that building connections is uh a key thing in winning cultures gotcha um well uh Lawrence Let's uh turn back to you as a prospect I mean um obviously we were doing our homework and we were trying to you know uh research guys and watch film and figure out who in the world were going to invite to the hold the bowl and so um amongst our team of Scouts uh one of our Scouts thought very highly of you of course um we felt um these are some of the words that I wrote down it says uh very good run Defender good explosiveness and speed very competitive um you know obviously very efficient um I I feel like you know again if people haven't watched you you play somewhere between a a slot Corner Nickelback position to uh somewhere as you know in in the safety position um so uh what do you what do you feel separates you from everybody else as a prospect I mean obviously I said a couple things but how do you respond to it um what separates me as a prospect the biggest thing is my versatility like you said I could play slot corner you know I can Guard the guard the slot guys um I can also come down in the Box um and play like a box safety uh defend to run filling gaps um taking on pulling guards um then I can play on the post post safety and help over the top like and uh my last my last two years of college I played both safety positions I played the slot Corner um I had like a middle middle backer reps where I'm like the Tampa two guy um and then I've even lined up like as a five technique believe it or not like I know pass rushing moves I know how to ghost you know like you know just my versatility is what sets me apart from uh all other DBS but also you know my knowledge of the game um and my play recognition I feel like that's that's act another one that's that's a good one me being a quarter a former quarterback um it's like the speed of the game is slower for me so it's like it's easy to dissect plays dissect schemes um and yeah just know what's going on and it just gives me that extra step uh over my opponents to make plays all that stuff makes sense I mean being a former quarterback certainly helps you know put you in the mindset of uh the people across from you um and again like you said these past two years man um you played almost everywhere um even you said the five when you're rushing although I don't want to have you rush too too much um I'd rather itd be disguised you know um so that we could do it maybe maybe once a game you know just hey Jimmy I L my team in sacks man you led your team in how in the world does a 200 pound dude lead the team in sack a ball player man that's amazing um I don't know how I don't know what but that certainly says something um dude you're obviously making a lot of plays in the back field and um did very well for yourself these past two seasons of course the previous two seasons you were faced with a little bit of adversity and um with that really um it it shows a little bit about a person's character and so um I kind of want you to walk through some of that because obviously man first and foremost everybody was hit with this uh covid-19 stuff and the pandemic and then of course you know 2021 you was cut short due to a shoulder injury um how did you respond to it and just talk about how you persevered through those times um well like you said Co was a tough time for for all of us you know just uh not knowing like uh how long are we gon to be playing uh if we're even gonna play like are we just practicing for nothing you know just like Co was tough for everybody so um you know I feel like with us having in the spring season that definitely played uh in my favor uh you know just being able to play um because I know I know guys that like didn't get the CO season and just hung the cleats up just because it was like man I don't even know if I really love it anymore so just me uh me having that season my spring season um that was good but after the spring season we had a lot of guys hit the portal um a lot of stars too on defense um a lot of guys uh lot of starters and that was tough going into the 2021 season uh we we didn't know we didn't know our identity we didn't know you know what we we didn't know our strengths or our weaknesses and you know we had a lot of um true freshman playing a lot of minutes like starters I mean like like they were seniors uh so you know that was tough but uh you know I I do feel like that was a blessing in disguise for me even though it was a tough season um you know just playing with those young guys it gave me an opportunity to learn how to teach learn how to be a leader you know cuz you know um it's kind of harder to lead guys that are like um your same age or your same caliber of play um and just with those guys being under me you know they looked up to me so I didn't really have to say too much or it was like it was more of say something than say the right thing you know I feel like they knew what I meant when I spoke or they knew what I was trying to say when I spoke um so that was that was good and um yeah my my the 2021 season I did have a shter injury a shoulder injury against um Tennessee State I separated my AC joint in my left shoulder um and that was a battle just like any major injury um I definitely it was definitely a physical battle but I feel like for me it was more of a mental battle just like um having faith in in God that I will bounce back from it having faith in myself and my abilities because I've seen guys go through injuries and not be the same player um but you know I just stayed faithful in my in my I stayed faithful to my my God and you know I stay consistent in my work my work ethic and I had a good group of guys around me motiva me to uh you know work hard and work harder um and I really feel like it played in my favor uh you know it gave me a sense it gave me a sense of determination just feeling like I wanted to be all OD even with this being placed on me it gave me like that hunger it made me hungry it made me want to beat the odd all the to all the people that said like um that question not s but all the people that question if I was going to get better if I was you know going to have another productive season and you know just it made me want to turn my critics to crickets you know so no I hear you and um you know hey it it sucks being injured you know you you have to you know kind of you know F on the sideline and dude I know you better than that I know you don't really want to do that I know that that's frustrating I've never sat a fall out of football until yeah I mean years old I completely get that you were hungry and you wanted to be out there um and I know it was a very hard decision for you to to really stick around um and just kind of persevere you know go through physical train therapy get better and then ultimately come back and really do what you did which really um you came back and you uh really solidified yourself as one of the best guys at your position which dude that's one of the obvious reasons why we invited you to the hola bow I think it was myself uh who actually gave you the call um um almost let's talk about that real quick that that whole week um uh what did you get out of it uh some of the highlights give me a couple quick uh quick things um you know I'm grateful for the hula ball it was an amazing time for me a good experience I feel like um if possible well you know it's not possible but everybody should get something as good as the hoola ball man it was a good experience uh I got a I got a chance to match up with guys all across the country big schools like Tennessee Florida State even Alabama you know like these are the best guys in the country and it was good to you know talk to these guys and uh ask about cultures and how they how their teams go about certain things and even talk football you know like like I said these are the best programs in America you know I want to see what are you learning at Alabama what are you learn at Clemson and it was it was good to like pick their brains and uh learn new techniques from the coaches who are um who are good coaches um they knew they were very knowledgeable of the game um like I said pick their brains man just staying after with some coaches learning new things um learning new tweaks about schemes talking that with coaches and even talking that with players uh it was another good opportunity to to um practice uh to practice working with new guys you know going into the NFL I'm gonna be working with guys that I've never seen a day in my life you know and you know this is just a good this is just a good opportunity to be able to um learn how to cooperate with guys that I don't know from a can of paint yeah I mean that's kind of how it's gonna be you know you're going to get an opportunity with a football team you're going to have to you know uh learn new names you know pick up a pick up a brand new playbook and you know work with it so um and I think you you really took you you took the most out of you could that you could out of the hulao uh obviously man it's a lot it's a CRA there's a lot of crazy things going on practices interviews all these things happening um but I think I feel like you you took the most out of your opportunity and you know you put yourself in a pretty good position I mean and then I just kind of want to move on from that uh real quick if we could dude you you you also had an opportunity to go to I think you went to a couple different uh Pro too right uh yeah um Simo had their own prod day and then I went to maou's prod day too yeah and dude honestly uh the numbers say that you did better at missou and maybe it was because you were around some of those SEC guys maybe you uh you know kind of rais the bar a little bit you know as you're around those people and I don't know if that's like the mentality that you bring to the table but dude you obviously uh you know put forth a little bit more there so what do you think um that definitely and uh coming off of seo's uh pro day you know I just wanted to be better because I know I could do better um that and just seeing all those Scouts man seeing all those people that could change my life around it was like you can't you don't want to have no regrets man you want to don't want to have no what if so just leave it all on the line and I feel like that's what I did and and how how was your interaction with some of the scouts I mean just kind of like interviews from either prod day or the hola bow I mean how did those work out any of them that stick out in particular um they were good um definitely they were definitely um helpful just to be able to see where I am as a player um in this current draft uh you know I I asked a lot of the scouts um about my weaknesses and my strengths just so I have knowledge of that which I already did but just to see from a different perspective um yeah man it was it was good uh but the one that stuck out to me the most probably was the bingles um that was that was a good interview I feel um you know he was like kind of telling me how I fit the scheme and telling me um just about my playing style and you know just giving me a lot of like reassurance I feel like the being my bigest interview gave me a lot of reassurance it was almost like a weight lifted off of my shoulders CU you know going through this process it definitely can be nerve-wracking if you let it get you get under your skin and I feel like that racking for us are you kidding me yeah but uh no obviously Lawrence you you're doing a lot lately um and yes it can get a little nerve-wracking but um I feel like you're doing a pretty good job of what what you've been given so um we have been at it for a while I've been trying my best to keep an eye on the time so we need to sort of wrap things up um so obviously man I know you want to get drafted you want to be a part of an NFL team so uh tell these franchises why they need to uh make that call and give you the opportunity to play for their team uh go ahead and close us out with your final thoughts and really what you bring to the te table uh that people can be sure of so go for it um you know just a guy like me I'm a give it all I got every single rep every single day every single week I'm G give it every I'm G give it every ounce of me um but like from a football standpoint like like I talked about my versatility I can play anywhere on the field I play corner I played Safety I play nickel I've play in the Box um you know I'm I'm quick on my feet uh I got good change of Direction I was my number say um I know the game you know I know scheme I can talk scheme I could talk over underf fronts um I can talk linebacker talk I can talk DB talk I can talk football you know I know football um like I said I know the game I know all I know scheme uh so it wouldn't be it wouldn't be too hard for me to learn playbooks um uh and then like outside of football I I'm a good guy you know uh I'm a I'm a family man uh you know I always try to do the right things um I try to leave good Impressions on people um I'm a man of my word very respectable uh you know and I prioritize consistency and discipline you know and I know that uh culture is a very important thing you know if you want to win you got to have good culture I know how to lead but I also know how to follow you know um Goa I mean let to just wrap it all up man again um we we talked about things like versatility leadership uh just that hunger and desire to be obviously the best player possible that you can be for a program which obviously you were able to go out there and uh really showcase during your time at Simo again very efficient very efficient guy who understands the Playbook does a great job you know against the run and shutting that down and can also you know also has some solid speed to to uh you know obviously you know be in coverage which obviously that's what you do a lot anyway as a safety right so and I'm a special teams Guru oh absolutely man so you you you bring a lot to the table if people want to look at your PFF grades those check out if they want to look at your film that dude that also checks out so um people need to look into you man um I feel like you're you're one of the biggest sleepers in this whole draft so uh Lawrence uh again great time talking to you want to wish you all the best in this process okay all I appreciate you thanks for having me hey man anytime so once again Lawrence Johnson defense to back Simo check him [Music] out hey hey hey [Music] hey hey hey hey hey