Four Oregon defenders land on Bruce Feldman's college football Freaks List
Oregon’s defense has freaks.
This week, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman published his annual college football Freaks List, a collection of 100 college football players who, in Feldman’s words, display “unique physical abilities that wow even those who observe gifted athletes every day.” The list has become required reading for football fans every preseason, as Feldman does well to highlight players all throughout the sport, not just at the top.
But the Ducks have some remarkable talent, so four Oregon defenders landed on this year’s list—linebackers DJ Johnson, Noah Sewell, and Justin Flowe, and corner Christian Gonzalez.
Feldman has Johnson at No. 4:
The Miami transfer bounced around last year, playing 152 snaps on defense as an outside linebacker (11 tackles, 2 TFLs), 98 on offense as a tight end, and 18 on special teams. But don’t be shocked if he emerges as a big force on Dan Lanning’s defense. Johnson had a dominant showing in the Ducks’ spring game, making five TFLs and four sacks. Those numbers are as jaw-dropping as the results the 6-4, 275-pounder has produced in the Oregon training program, posting a blazing 22.88 mph on the GPS to go with a 455-pound bench and 655-pound sumo deadlift.
That speed with that power is a scary combination. But, then again, we all saw how he looked in the spring so those numbers shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Johnson is expected to start at outside ‘backer for Oregon this season.
Feldman has Gonzalez at No. 25:
The younger brother of two former All-American sprinters, 6-2, 200-pound Gonzalez was a standout for Colorado in 2021, making 53 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and five pass breakups. Gonzalez wowed the Ducks’ coaches this offseason with this athleticism, hitting 23.3 mph on the GPS, vertical-jumping 42 inches and power-cleaning 325 pounds.
Another projected starter, Gonzalez followed his position coach this offseason from Colorado to Oregon. Coach Demetrice Martin was one of Dan Lanning’s first hires, and he has helped Oregon land a number of blue-chip defensive backs since joining the program. Maybe his most important job will be his work with Gonzalez, who has the tools to become a shutdown corner for the Ducks.
Feldman has Sewell at No. 42:
The 2020 Pac-12 freshman defensive player of the year followed that with another big season, finishing second in the Pac-12 with 114 total tackles, 37 more than any other Duck. Sewell, a former high school quarterback, also had 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. The 6-2, 260-pound junior has great movement skills, topping out at 20.85 mph on the GPS. He also bench pressed 425 this offseason, did 655 pounds on the sumo deadlift and power-cleaned 345.
And he has Sewell’s partner at linebacker, Flowe, at No. 76:
A huge recruit for the Ducks out of LA, Flowe dominated in high school, producing clips like Jefferson in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” The 6-2, 245-pound 20-year-old is super explosive. Flowe looked like a star in Oregon’s season opener last year against Fresno State, making 14 tackles and forcing a fumble to earn Pac-12 freshman of the week honors before injuring his foot. Flowe, though, has bounced back from the season-ending injury and hit 21.75 MPH. He also has deadlifted 605 pounds and power-cleaned 335.
You can see the rest of Feldman’s Freaks List here.