Jermaine Johnson selected No. 26 by New York Jets

Florida State Seminoles football has added another first-round pick to the list of names the program has sent to the NFL.

Defensive end Jermaine Johnson II transferred into Florida State with one year of eligibility remaining, determined to elevate his stock after starting at the JUCO level and failing to break through for the Georgia Bulldogs.

What resulted was one of the more impressive seasons by a Florida State defensive lineman in recent program history, earning him ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He followed that up with a pre-draft process that saw him shoot up the draft boards.

Once thought to be a second-round prospect, Johnson’s performances at the NFL Combine and FSU Pro Day, as well as interviews with teams that left them high on the player pushed him into the first round, making him a player impossible to pass on past the top 10.

Though the New York Jets passed on the chance to take him at No. 4 and No. 10, they made the moves necessary to secure him in the first, trading back up to No. 26 by swapping picks with the Tennessee Titans.

Johnson is FSU’s first first-round selection since 2019 (defensive end Brian Burns, No. 16 to the Carolina Panthers).