Derrick O'Hara Johnson (born November 22, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, twice earning consensus All-American honors. Johnson was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick. In his 13 seasons with the Chiefs, Johnson made four Pro Bowls. He also played six games for the Oakland Raiders in 2018.
Johnson was born in Waco, Texas. He attended Waco High School, where he was a three-sport star in football, track and basketball. In football, Johnson played as a linebacker, registering 170 tackles (103 unassisted), 21.0 stops for loss, six quarterback sacks, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown as a senior. He produced a career-high 30 tackles and four forced fumbles in a single game. Johnson earned Parade magazine high school All-America and first-team All-Texas Class 5A honors following both his junior and senior seasons, and played in the first-ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl on December 30, 2000.
As a standout track & field athlete, Johnson was a state-qualifier in the 100-meters and the triple jump. He recorded a 10.5-second 100-meter dash, while also clearing over 48 ft (14.66 m) in the triple jump. At the District 13-5A Championships, Johnson ran a leg on the Waco 4 × 100 m relay squad, helping them earn a fourth-place finish.
Johnson enrolled in The University of Texas at Austin, and played for coach Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns football team from 2001 to 2004 and became one of the most dominant linebackers in Longhorns history. Johnson was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2002, 2003, and 2004, a consensus first-team All-American in 2003, and unanimous first-team All-American in 2004. Following his senior season, Johnson was also recognized as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and received the Dick Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. The Texas Longhorns finished 11–1, and narrowly defeated the Michigan Wolverines 38–37 in the 2005 Rose Bowl.
Johnson entered the 2005 NFL Draft as a highly touted prospect and attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed all of the combine drills. On March 23, 2005, he attended Texas' pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. He was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and DraftCountdown.com.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Johnson in the first round (15th overall) of the 2005 NFL draft. Johnson was the fourth linebacker drafted in 2005.
On July 31, 2005, the Chiefs signed Johnson to a five-year, $10.4 million contract with $7.03 million guaranteed.
Johnson entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker. Head coach Dick Vermeil officially named him the left outside linebacker to start the regular season, along with Kendrell Bell and middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell.
Johnson made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the season-opener against the New York Jets and recorded nine combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made his first career sack on quarterback Chad Pennington during the 27–7 victory. Three weeks later, Johnson collected a season-high 10 solo tackles in a 37–31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson started all 16 games of his rookie season and made 95 combined tackles (72 solo), five pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two sacks. He was subsequently awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award as their rookie of the year. The Chiefs finished second in the AFC West with a 10–6 record, but did not qualify for the playoffs.
On January 1, 2006, Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil announced his retirement after five seasons with the team. New head coach Herm Edwards chose to retain defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and the base 4–3 defense. He also retained starting linebackers Johnson, Bell, and Mitchell to begin the season.
On October 29, 2006, Johnson made five combined tackles and two sacks on quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the 30–27 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Johnson missed two consecutive games (Weeks 10–11) due to a sprained ankle. He aggravated his injury and was also inactive for the Week 13 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Three weeks later, Johnson had a season-high nine solo tackles during a 20–9 road victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Johnson finished his second professional season with 75 combined tackles (56 solo), 4.5 sacks, and three passes defensed in 13 games and 13 starts.
Head coach Herman Edwards retained Johnson as the starting left outside linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside Donnie Edwards and starting middle linebacker Napoleon Harris.
On September 16, 2007, Johnson recorded seven combined tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, forced a fumble, and sacked quarterback Rex Grossman twice during a 20–10 loss at the Chicago Bears in Week 2. In Week 4, he made three combined tackles, deflected a pass, made a sack, and made his first career interception off a pass by Philip Rivers during a 30–16 victory at the San Diego Chargers. On November 11, 2007, Johnson collected a season-high 11 solo tackles, deflected a pass, forced a fumble, and made an interception in the Chiefs' 27–11 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 10. He started all 16 games and recorded 94 combined tackles (63 solo), six pass deflections, four sacks, and three forced fumbles.
Johnson and Donnie Edwards returned as the starting outside linebackers in 2008, along with middle linebacker Pat Thomas. On September 28, 2008, Johnson made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, was credited with half a sack, forced a fumble, and also intercepted a pass by quarterback Jay Cutler during a 33–19 victory against the Denver Broncos. The following week, he collected a season-high nine solo tackles and deflected a pass in the Chiefs' 34–0 loss at the Carolina Panthers. He was inactive for two games (Weeks 10–11) after injuring his hamstring the previous week. On December 28, 2008, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (five solo) and a pass deflection in the Chiefs' 16–6 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. Johnson recorded 85 combined tackles (68 solo), six passes defensed, four forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception in 14 games and 14 starts.
On January 23, 2009, the Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Herman Edwards after they finished with a 2–14 record in 2008 and did not qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
The Kansas City Chiefs' new head coach, Todd Haley, hired Clancy Pendergast as the new defensive coordinator. Pendergast chose to install a base 3-4 defense instead of the 4-3 defense previously used. On May 20, 2009, Johnson stated during an interview that the change in base defense has prompted the coaches to move him to inside linebacker. Throughout training camp, Johnson competed for a job as a starting inside linebacker against Demorrio Williams, Corey Mays, Monty Beisel, and rookie Jovan Belcher. Head coach Todd Haley named Johnson a backup inside linebacker to start the regular season, behind Demorrio Williams, Corey Mays, Monty Beisel, and Jovan Belcher. Haley did not give an explanation on Johnson's demotion, but Johnson stated he had no previous experience in a base 3–4 defense and had issues with the transition.