LAS VEGAS – Missouri State defensive lineman Eric Johnson (Plainfield, Ill.) was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the National Football League Draft here Saturday.Johnson was the 159th overall pick in this year’s draft — the sixth selection of the fifth round — and is the 18th Missouri State player to be drafted by an NFL club. He is also the first Bear to be drafted since David Arkin (4th round, Cowboys) in 2011.Johnson played in a school-record 55 consecutive games as a five-year starter for Missouri State. His draft stock skyrocketed in the offseason with his standout efforts in the NFLPA Bowl and Senior Bowl games after he earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference second-team honors in his final season in Springfield.ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Johnson as the No. 10 defensive tackle in his pre-draft rankings.During the 2021 campaign, Johnson racked up 43 total stops with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3 blocked kicks. He seemed to save the best for last with a career-high 11 tackles against UT Martin (11/27/21) in the NCAA FCS Playoff game at Plaster Stadium in his final college game with a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Johnson also blocked a kick at Illinois State (10/2/21) before recording 5 tackles in the team’s win at No. 7 Southern Illinois (11/6/21). Johnson finished the 2021 season with a streak of 23 consecutive starts.He finished his collegiate career with 131 total stops, including 19.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 55 games at MSU. He was a key part of coach Bobby Petrino‘s 2020-21 MVFC co-championship squad and 2021 MVFC runner-up team, both of which earned berths in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs.
