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Donnie Johnson signed as a rookie free agent with the Baltimore Ravens on 5/4/07.
College Career:
Had primarily distinguished himself on special teams, having blocked 3 punts in his career, but was an effective force on pass defense and run support in 2006...Johnson was a strong contributor in helping the Nittany Lions' defense finish the year ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing (87.5 ypg, 7th), scoring (14.4 ppg, 9th), total defense (284.5 ypg, 15th), pass efficiency defense (105.9 rating, 14th) and sacks (40, tied for 6th)...Started every game at FS in 2006 and ranked 5th on the team with 50 tackles (36 solo)...He also had 4 TFL, 1 sack, 4 PD and 1 FF...Helped limit Purdue's Big Ten-leading and No. 4-nationally ranked passing attack to 125 yards, much below its season average of 309.6 ypg...Johnson recorded a career-high 9 stops (7 solo) at Wisconsin and broke up 2 passes...In the Nittany Lions' 2nd shutout of the season, over Temple, Johnson helped the Lions limit Temple to just 58 yards through the air, the lowest total by an opponent since Notre Dame's 47 yards in 1989...Played in every game in 2005 (for the 3rd-consecutive season) on defense and special teams...Made 8 tackles (6 solo), along with 2 PD and an INT...In the regular-season finale at Michigan State, he recorded his 3rd-career blocked punt, which led to a TD...The play sparked the Nittany Lions in their 31-22 Big Ten-clinching win and earned Johnson the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week"...He also grabbed his 1st-career INT in the end zone in the final seconds of the 2nd quarter against the Spartans...He made 2 solo tackles against the Spartans and for all of his efforts was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week...Johnson was shifted from WR to CB for his junior season in 2004...Played in every game and recorded 6 tackles and blocked a pair of punts...Came up with a big punt block to give the Lions the ball inside the Iowa 10-yard line...His 2nd blocked punt of the season set up a short TD drive in the momentum-changing 3rd-quarter of the Lions' win over Michigan State...Johnson played in every game and totaled 170 snaps in 2003, seeing duty at RB and WR...Redshirted his true freshman season in 2002...Graduated from Penn State in December 2006 with a degree in psychology.
Personal:
Johnson was a standout at North College Hill (Cincinnati, OH) HS...He was a member of the SuperPrep All-Midwest team and G&W Recruiting Report Top 50 Offense...As a senior he rushed for 2,961 yards and averaged 12.7 yards per carry...As a safety, he made 38 tackles and grabbed 6 INTs...Johnson set school career records for rushing yards (6,353), all-purpose yards (7,430), TDs (73) and points (438)...Full name: Donald Martin Johnson. | 