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4 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Defensive end Michael Johnson takes a break during football practice in Cincinnati Friday June 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

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A lot of scouts opined that Georgia Tech Defensive End, Michael Johnson may have taken plays off. Enough questions were raised that his draft status feel from a potential first-round pick to a chip-on-the-shoulder third round pick. It's the biggest reason why a defensive end, who scored 9.0 sacks and 17.5 tackles-for-loss, kept sliding. What scouts either failed to realize, or simply brushed aside, is that Johnson was dealing with an injury his final year in college.

Little did they know the pain he had endured. That lingering groin and abdominal injury turned out to be a sports hernia.

“I’m not really trying to put anything out there as far as an excuse,” Johnson said. “You get on the field and go play.”

Maybe this will go to explain that it wasn't his work ethic or motivations that dropped his stock. Johnson is being groomed as a defensive player that's incredible versatile with a lot riding on his potential. With Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers looking to start the season at defensive end, Johnson is likely to get a good bulk of snaps by playing end and maybe some at outside linebacker.