Marquis Adrian Johnson (born May 18, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

. He was drafted 211th overall in the 7th round of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

. Johnson played his collegiate football at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, where he was a member of the 2009 National Championship team.

Early years

Johnson played for Booker High School in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, leading his team to a 13-2 record as a senior, had five interceptions, 15 pass breakups and 39 solo tackles. He also returned punts, averaging 37.6 yards per return. He was named All-State as a cornerback and punt returner. As a junior, he registered 50 tackles and 11 pass break-ups. He was a three-sport star, playing on a state-champion basketball team in addition to competing in the triple jump in the Florida state track & field championships.

College career

As a senior in 2009, Johnson played in all 14 games, starting 10. He finished the season with 29 total tackles (25 solo) with one interception, and led the team with passes defensed (18) and passes broken up (17). In 2008, as a junior, Johnson served as Alabama's third cornerback in nickel and dime defensive packages. He played in all 14 games with three starts and recorded 49 tackles on the year, which ranked sixth on the team, had two interceptions, a tackle for loss and five pass breakups. In 2007, he played in nine games as a back-up in the secondary and had four tackles, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery on the season. As a freshman in 2006 he appeared in all 13 games and finished the season with seven tackles to his credit.

Professional career

Johnson was not invited to the NFL Combine and despite coming off meniscus surgery Johnson ran a 4.51 forty-yard dash.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams drafted Johnson in the seventh round of the

. On June 28, 2010, Johnson signed a four-year contract with the Rams. He was waived and re-signed on a number of occasions over the next 2 years, spending time on the practice squad and on the PUP list and

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

as well as on the active roster. Hampered by a knee injury, he played in five games during his two years with the team. Ultimately, the Rams waived him on May 3, 2012.New Orleans Saints bio
, accessed August 22, 2012.Bradley Handwerger

,

WWL-TV WWL-TV (channel 4) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL (channel 54). Both stations share studios on Rampart Street ...

, August 22, 2012.

New Orleans Saints

Johnson signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

on May 10, 2012. He was released by the Saints on August 31, 2012 on the final cut down day.http://whodatdish.com/2012/08/31/reaction-to-new-orleans-saints-cut-to-the-final-53/ , August 31, 2012

Personal life

Johnson was raised in

. He has spoken openly about the

abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

he suffered as a child, and has become active in efforts to help other children overcome abuse.

References

External links

New Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Marquis 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Sarasota, Florida American football cornerbacks Alabama Crimson Tide football players St. Louis Rams players New Orleans Saints players