Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson spoke to members of the Houston media via conference call shortly after he was selected 16th overall by the Houston Texans.
(on when he found out about getting drafted and what it means to join the Texans) "I was just sitting in the green room. I think it was pick 15 up on the screen and the Houston Texans called me and told me they were going to draft me. I was just overwhelmed with joy and extremely excited."
(on joining a defense with DE J.J. Watt) "It's going to be great. I'm sure there's a ton of great players on the team and I'm just trying to learn from those guys and help out in any way I can."
(on if he knew he was this high on the Texans draft board) "No, no I didn't."
(on how many times he talked to the Texans during the draft process) "I talked to them at the Combine. I talked to them at the Combine twice."
(on meeting with the Texans) "Yeah, one informally and one formally."
(on if he met with the Texans any other times) "No."
(on being academically ineligible his sophomore year) "It was a time in my life where it hurt me not to play and go out and battle with my teammates. It definitely helped me mature as a man and helped shaped me to the person I'm trying to be today. Luckily, I bounced back from that, not luckily, but I bounced back from that and I'm just excited that the Texans drafted me."
(on Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins calling him the best cornerback he faced in college and what he remembers about facing him) "He's a beast, man. He can do it all. It's definitely great to be out there and play against guys like him at a young age and kind of see what it's like to play against elite players."
(on transitioning from college to the NFL at his size) "I'm just going to get on the team with the Texans and do what the coaches tell me to do, and I'm excited about that."
(on if he has any connections with Houston) "No, no, I just got drafted and that's all I've been interacting with."
(on if any of the Texans players have reached out to him yet) "No, I haven't even looked at my phone or anything like that really yet."
(on what his best quality is as a player) "You know, just my athleticism and my passion for the game. I would say those are my strengths."
(on the opportunity to play with DBs D.J. Swearinger, Jonathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson) "I mean, it's going to be – it's great that I get to come into a situation like that and learn from those guys, guys that I watched over the past six, seven years of my life. Just being able to learn from those guys is going to be invaluable."
(on what it means to come from Wake Forrest and be a first-round pick) "It's great to be able to represent my school that way. I had a great experience being at Wake Forrest University. I'm a proud (Demon) Deacon and a graduate. It's awesome to be able to represent my school in that light. As far as being a first-round draft pick, I'm just trying to get on the team and help in any way I can."
(on the NFL player he looked up to growing up) "Champ Bailey, just growing up playing cornerback and watching him, that was the guy that I wanted to be like."
(on what it means to be a first-round draft pick) "It means a lot. It's a blessing, a blessing. I'm kind of lost for words right now, just extremely excited that I was a first-round pick and maybe tonight I'll be able to think about that a little bit more. Right now, I'm just thinking about how I can help the Texans become a better team and earn the respect from the coaches and the veterans."
(on if he has ever been to Texas) "I visited the Cowboys, that was the only time I've been to Texas."
(on if he has ever been to Houston) "Never to Houston."
Meet CB Kevin Johnson, the newest member of the Houston Texans.