Rams Sign Seventh-Round DL Desjuan Johnson

June 12, 2023

The Los Angeles Rams have signed seventh-round DL Desjuan Johnson to his rookie contract, per his agent.

Johnson was the last pick of the draft this year and earned the nickname of “Mr. Irrelevant” which is bestowed annually on that player.

However, he’s the first pick of the Rams’ enormous 2023 draft class to ink his rookie deal.

Rd	Pick	Player	Pos.	Note
2	36	Steve Avila	OG
3	77	Byron Young	DE
3	89	Kobie Turner	DE
4	128	Stetson Bennett	QB
5	161	Nick Hampton	LB
5	174	Warren McClendon Jr	OT
5	175	Davis Allen	TE
5	177	Puka Nacua	WR
6	182	Tre’Vius Tomlinson	DB
6	189	Ochaun Mathis	DE
6	215	Zach Evans	RB
7	223	Ethan White	P
7	234	Jason Taylor II	S
7	259	Desjuan Johnson	DL	Signed

Johnson, 23, was a three-year starter at Toledo and was named to the all-conference team three times, including a first-team selection in 2022.

The Rams drafted him in the seventh round with the No. 259 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s projected to sign a four-year, $3,917,777 rookie contract that includes a signing bonus of $77,777.

During his five-year college career, Johnson appeared in 54 games and made 31 starts, recording 210 total tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and one pass deflection.