Cornerback Bruce Johnson is Miami Hurricanes' lone star

Don't expect Bruce Johnson to feel guilty because he won't perpetuate what has come to be known among NFL Draft junkies as ''the streak'' -- 14 consecutive years of at least one University of Miami football player selected in the first round.

That burden cannot rest on one player, Johnson explained, especially when that player is the only Hurricane likely to be drafted this weekend.

''I can't help that we don't have any first-rounders,'' said Johnson, 22, who is the same age as his jersey number. He protested softly, and earnestly. ``What do people want me to do? Not play football? I don't understand why everyone wants to talk about it.

``I know it's a streak people take pride in, but after a while, I get tired of hearing about it, to be honest. As much as you talk about it and cry and complain, it's not going to change. I'm doing my best. I know this program will come back.''

Johnson, a 5-9 ? 178-pound cornerback projected to be drafted anywhere from the fourth to seventh rounds -- and in a scenario he doesn't even contemplate, perhaps not at all -- is Miami's only hope to preserve an astounding tradition of NFL-worthy talent.

The last time the Hurricanes did not have a player taken in the draft was 1974, and before that, 1960.

Last year, safety Kenny Phillips saved the first-round streak by being taken 31st overall by the New York Giants. In 2007, safety Brandon Meriweather, linebacker Jon Beason and tight end Greg Olsen kept it going.

In 2006, Kelly Jennings, another cornerback and Johnson's uncle (the two played together when Johnson was a freshman) maintained it as the No. 31 pick by Seattle.

''I do remember the calls I got about how I saved the streak,'' Jennings said. ``But to be drafted in any round is a huge honor. I think Bruce is a great talent. He might not have had the year he wanted, but any team that gets him will be fortunate. He has great passion and a positive attitude that set him apart.

'Some guys say, `Woe is me.' Bruce pushes through adversity and overcomes it.''

Johnson has had a career marked by highlight reels and forgettable moments. At times, he was brilliant. At times, he struggled.

Johnson started 11 of 13 games last season, eight his junior year and a handful his first two years combined. In 2008, as part of Miami's seventh-ranked pass defense (by far the best UM team statistic), Johnson was the second-leading tackler among defensive backs with 29. He got his second career interception against Florida State and recovered a fumble toward the end of regulation at Virginia, where Miami won in overtime.

As a junior, he had a team-leading six pass breakups.

SMALL PACKAGE
He is small and known for his speed and catch-up acceleration, despite a slow time of 4.49 seconds at the combine in February in Indianapolis. He weighed 168 that day after a stomach ailment and said he couldn't keep anything down. He has since gained 11 pounds. Less than a week after Indianapolis, Johnson increased his speed to 4.40 at UM's pro timing day.

''He ran well, but not phenomenally,'' ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. ``He had a decent career, not a great career. But when you look at this kid, he has some skills. He could be a nickel-, dime-type of back in the league. He could be a fourth- or fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick, that could make a team.

''But, unfortunately, the streak comes to an end,'' Kiper added. ``And it shouldn't be surprising, considering the way Miami has played. Usually, your talent reflects your won-loss record. Miami is a slip downward, and now they're trying to bring it back up with the young players that [coach] Randy [Shannon] is recruiting.''

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock described the Hurricanes as being ``off the map right now. I fully expect them to come back and be a lot more productive. Things are cyclical. USC is the place now that Miami used to be as far as star power on Pro Day.''

Mayock projects Johnson to be drafted ``mid to late on the second day. He's not real big, obviously. I think bottom line is that he's going to go late, if he goes at all.''

The size factor, or more accurately, lack of size, is something Johnson has heard for years. Jennings played at 175 pounds this season for the Seahawks, and was smaller than Johnson as a Hurricane.

''I laugh about that because it's the same thing I heard about myself,'' Jennings said. ``We're all men in the NFL. Regardless of size, if you use what God has blessed you with, you overcome.''

Last week, former UM first-rounders Santana Moss and Willis McGahee worked out near Johnson in the UM weight room. Both scoffed at the streak mania, and insisted it's not where you are picked, it's how you produce.

''I don't think it's disappointing,'' said Moss, who was drafted 16th overall by the Jets in 2001 and now plays for the Redskins. ``Everything comes to an end sooner or later, but the one thing this school can hold on to is that everyone we put in the NFL will be at least worthy of, or even better, than the round in which they were drafted.''
As a UM senior, Moss' height and weight were almost identical to Johnson's.

''Doing well has nothing to do with size,'' Moss said. ``Speed is everything in this game. I'd hate to be on the end of the stick Bruce is on because they always try to find something to bring you down. I went through the same thing. All you can do is show them. It ain't about how big or small you are, it's about putting up numbers and performing.''
McGahee, a Baltimore Ravens running back drafted 23rd overall by Buffalo in 2003, said ''all that matters'' is that Johnson gets drafted. ''He'll be successful,'' said McGahee, who nonetheless made it a point to show Johnson the tattoo on his bulging biceps that reads ``BOSS.''

''Bruce is a little cocky,'' an approving McGahee said. ``Kelly was all quiet, no talk. Bruce goes out there and puts down swagger on the field. You have to have confidence to be successful.''

Johnson -- gregarious, enthusiastic and polite to a fault -- is as candid and likable a Hurricane as you will find. He treats others with respect and answers questions thoughtfully, usually with a big smile.

SOME TOUGH TIMES
Early in his career, he was suspended for being late to study hall and a team meeting. He also was suspended for taking part in the brawl against Florida International in 2006. But he seems to have grown up dramatically the past couple years, and is on pace to graduate next month in sports administration.

''Yes, ma'am, I've matured,'' Johnson said. ``I started off with a little rocky start. Now I don't let little things escalate into big problems. I need that degree to fall back on, especially with the state the economy is in. I want to start what I finish, and I'll be very proud to get my degree.''

Johnson's mother, Cassandra Gerberich, is Jenning's older sister. Johnson moved in with his grandmother -- Jenning's mother, Ruby -- so he could attend Live Oak Suwannee High School. Suwannee is 23 miles from Johnson's hometown of Lake City, a place ''in the country,'' he said, ``with dirt roads, raccoons, possums, snakes and lots of open space.''

STARTING YOUNG
Johnson started playing flag football when he was 5, and he spent almost every night with a football tucked next to him while he slept.

''He would lie on his back and toss the football up in the air, even when he was watching television,'' said Gerberich, 43, a dental assistant. ``That was his baby.

'Kelly was the painfully quiet, humble one. Bruce was the free spirit, go-getter, showboater. They called him `the human highlight' in high school because he could make something out of nothing on kick returns. Kelly sits back and lets his work speak for itself. But they have the same heart, same motives and same morals. And they both have enough manners for 10 people.''

Johnson will spend draft weekend with a few close relatives at his uncle's home in Orlando, the place where Jennings heard his name called.

''The moment has come, and now it's time for him to step up and grab the dream,'' Johnson's mother said. ``His size doesn't matter. It's what he can do. Bruce is about to be somewhere a lot of guys would love to be.

``We'll say a prayer and have faith that God will put Bruce in the right place.''

Said Johnson, his eyes twinkling: ``Instead of talking about Deion [Sanders] all the time, maybe kids will talk about me one day.

``Shoot, I just want to be drafted and keep improving. Then, everything will work out for the best.''

(miamiherald.com)