Jakob Johnson

Jakob Elijah Johnson (German pronunciation: [ˈjaːkɔp]; YAH-kop; born 15 December 1994) is a German gridiron football fullback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program.

Jakob Johnson
Johnson in 2019
No. 47 – New England Patriots
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1994-12-15) 15 December 1994
Stuttgart, Germany
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Jean Ribault
(Jacksonville, Florida)
College:Tennessee
Undrafted:2018
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Rushing yards:0
Rushing average:0
Rushing touchdowns:0
Receptions:9
Receiving yards:40
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Johnson was born in Stuttgart, Germany on 15 December 1994. He played for the Stuttgart Scorpions of the German Football League on the U19 team before moving to Jacksonville, Florida in his senior year of high school. He was recruited by the Tennessee Volunteers as a linebacker.[1]

Professional career

Stuttgart Scorpions

Following his graduation from Tennessee in 2018, Johnson returned to the Stuttgart Scorpions where he would play for a year.[2]

New England Patriots

Jakob entered the NFL via the International Player Pathway Program and was signed by New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 8, 2019.[3] He was released during final roster cuts on 31 August 2019.[4] After remaining unclaimed in waivers, he was automatically assigned to the Patriots' practice squad for the 2019 season.[5] As the Patriots chose not to register him as an international player, Jakob counted against the 10-man practice squad limit, and was therefore eligible to be signed to the active roster during the 2019 season.[6] He was promoted from the practice squad on 21 September 2019 following an injury to James Develin and became the first International Pathway player to be activated [7] and play in an NFL game.[8] He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on 14 October 2019 with a shoulder injury. In the 2019 season, he recorded one reception for five yards, and took 94 total snaps — 71 on offense and 23 on special teams — in 4 games played.[9]

To start the 2020 NFL season, his second, Johnson made the Patriots 53-man roster out of camp, becoming the second International Pathway player to do so after Efe Obada.[10] In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Johnson scored his first professional touchdown on a one-yard touchdown reception from Cam Newton,[11] becoming the first player from the International Player Pathway to score a touchdown.[12] He also became the first offensive player from Germany and second overall German player to score a touchdown.[13]

References
  1. Flesner, Dan (16 August 2017). "Tennessee Vols tight end Jakob Johnson working to have more catches than tackles". USA Today. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  2. "Patriots Sign Tight End Jakob Johnson Of German League". Boston.CBSLocal.com. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. McKenna, Henry (8 April 2019). "Patriots add TE Jakob Johnson from German football league". PatriotsWire.USAToday.com. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  4. Yang, Nicole (31 August 2019). "Patriots rumor roundup: Here's who won't make New England's 53-man roster". Boston.com. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  5. Kyed, Doug (1 September 2019). "Patriots Practice Squad Tracker: Stephen Anderson, Terez Hall Retained". NESN.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. Buchmasser, Bernd (2 September 2019). "Patriots make further changes to their practice squad: Tyree St. Louis released, Jakob Johnson not given exemption". patspulpit.com. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  7. Wells, Adam (21 September 2019). "Patriots' Jakob Johnson 1st International Pathway Program Player to Be Activated". BleacherReport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. Wells, Adam (24 September 2019). "Jakob Johnson makes NFL debut with Patriots". USAToday.com. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. "Patriots Place FB Jakob Johnson on IR". Patriots.com. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  10. "FOUR INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS ADDED TO ROSTERS FOR 2020 SEASON - April 27th, 2020". nfl.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  11. "New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks - September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  12. "New England Patriots' Jakob Johnson's unlikely success story continues with first career TD". masslive.com. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  13. Spiegel: Johnson erzielt als zweiter Deutscher einen Touchdown in der NFL
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