Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson is one of the new members of the secondary for the Buffalo Bills. Johnson explains that he had no contact with the Bills before they selected him in the 2018 NFL Draft and he is somewhat familiar with both of the Bills first-round picks.
Here is what Johnson had to say to the media:
Q: Hey, can we just get the pronunciation of your first name officially? Congratulations.
Johnson: Thank you, I appreciate it. [It’s pronounced] TARE-un Johnson.
Q: How much time, Taron, did you spend inside as opposed to outside on the boundary at Weber State?
Johnson: Most of the time, if I was following a receiver, that’s most of the time I would go on the outside. More at the Senior Bowl, I played a lot of nickel as well just to show that I can be pretty versatile. Whatever spot is open for the Bills, I’m excited to work hard and compete for.
Q: Has coach McDermott or coach Butler given you any idea on where they see you yet in just the brief phone conversation you had?
Johnson: I mean, they more, I would say, a nickel spot, but it doesn’t really matter at this point; wherever they try to put me at, I feel like I’m going to try and compete for a position.
Q: It seems like you are a physical guy who really likes to tackle, that’s the book on you. It seems [that] that’s exactly what this team liked in you. Can you walk us through your game a little bit and if that’s one of the strong suits of it?
Johnson: I feel like it’s definitely one of my strong suits; I try and play corner more like a safety, if you will. I try and be as aggressive as possible and that’s something that I’m looking forward to doing in the NFL. Yeah, that’s it.
Q: Taron, how much contact did you have with the Bills during the pre-draft process?
Johnson: Actually, none until about 20 minutes ago. They just called me and told me. Yeah, it was out [of] the blue, so I was really excited when I got the call.
Q: What do you know about Buffalo, New York?
Johnson: Not too much, not too much. I’ve been to New York one time, but I’m about to learn a lot more about it before I get out there.
Q: And what do you know about the two players, or three actually, that were drafted before you by the Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds, and Harrison Phillips? Are you familiar with any of these guys?
Johnson: Yes, I am. I actually played in the Senior Bowl with Josh Allen and then Tremaine Edmunds worked out at the same facility as me. So, those are two great players. I don’t know too much about the third guy, but I’m sure he’s a great player as well.
Q: You and Tremaine worked out together in the pre-draft process?
Johnson: At EXOS, yeah, at EXOS in Pensacola, Fla. We know each other.
Q: What should people know about Weber State, other than pronounce it ‘WEE-ber,’ not ‘Web-burr’?
Johnson: Weber, I mean, I understand that we’re a small school and a lot of people might overlook us or stuff like that, or might over look me, but I’m just saying the talent level is not as different as people may actually think. It’s pretty close, so I’m telling you if you watch a lot of Weber State football, you’re going to see that there’s going to be more players coming out [to] the NFL [from] Weber State.
Q: Did you have an idea of where you might go in the Draft, maybe from your agent or anything like that? What were your expectations?
Johnson: I kind of thought it’d be early on the [third] day, about where I am right now. I kind of figured it’d be right there.
Q: How were you spending Draft Weekend?
Johnson: With my family and friends, just excited to have this opportunity and it’s kind of surreal at this point. It hasn’t really hit me yet. Just to celebrate it with them.
Q: Who’s going to come to Buffalo with you when you come here to check out the place in the next couple of days?
Johnson: It’ll probably be my dad. It’ll probably be my dad.
Q: Tell us a little bit about him and your relationship and him through this draft process with you.
Johnson: He has been there for me my whole entire life. My mom passed away when I was younger so he’s just been playing both roles and he’s just in there and been a great supporter and he’s definitely helped me get to where I am.
Q: I’m sure you’ve seen or heard just how bad the weather can be in Buffalo. Are you ready for a winter in Buffalo?
Johnson: Oh, yeah. I mean, I stayed in Utah for four years and the weather was pretty bad out there in the winter so I feel like I can handle anything.