Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson II officially declared for the NFL draft on Thursday.
Johnson, rated the No. 7 defensive end prospect in ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s 2022 draft position rankings, transferred to Florida State for the 2021 season after a career spent as a backup at Georgia.
He blossomed with the Seminoles, leading the ACC with 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Those totals were the most at Florida State since DeMarcus Walker in 2016.
In a statement posted on social media, Johnson thanked Florida State for “taking me in with open arms – for accepting me when it might have been easier to write me off as ‘a guy who had to transfer because he couldn’t cut it.’ This past year has given me a newfound love for the game that I had so very badly missed.”