Lane Johnson told a very tall tale in just days after the Eagles drafted him fourth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He talked about how he grew up wrestling bears – not the Chicago variety, but actual bears – on his uncle’s ranch in east Texas.
He maintained that the bouts improved his blocking technique. Philly media ate it up. Until he revealed a day or so later that he was just messing around.
Since then, Johnson has gone to wrestle some other beasts, such as Trent Cole, late in Cole’s Eagles career, Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox, Chris Long, Haason Reddick, and still to this day, Brandon Graham. And those were just his teammates.
There have been some other bears during his 11 years and counting in the league, players on other teams such as the Bosa brothers, Brian Burns, Khalil Mack, and Micah Parsons to name just a few.
Johnson has more than held his own against any bear and every bear he has come across, to the point where he could be carving out a very under-the-radar Hall of Fame resume.
So who has impressed him most recently?
Try Jordan Davis. It’s not often Johnson and the Eagles’ 24-year-old defensive tackle line up against each other, and Johnson is fortunate.
