Mustafa Johnson hopes to give Colorado a boost against USC

BOULDER — Mustafa Johnson has had a wild nine months.

“At first I wasn’t sure how the team was going to react,” Johnson told reporters on Monday.

After the 2020 season—in which Johnson contributed 18 pressures and three sacks over the course of six games—Colorado’s star defensive lineman opted to enter his name in the NFL Draft. Entering the 2021 draft was the plan all along, but the Covid-19 pandemic allowed Mustafa the option to return for the 2021 season at Colorado instead. After weighing his options, Johnson announced his decision in mid-January.

“I made the decision I made,” Johnson said. “It is what it is. I wish things would have worked out differently.”

Not only was Johnson not among the 259 players drafted in April, he wasn’t among the 300+ rookies who weren’t drafted but signed a free agent deal. The closest he came to a shot in the NFL was a tryout with the Jets in May.

“I was competing with all of those (rookies)—with their first rounder,” Johnson said. “Whoever was out there, I was competing right there with them. It kind of gave you that confidence where I was like, ‘Oh, I can play with them.'”

But Johnson wasn’t offered a contract.

“(The coach) was texting me kind of like, ‘We’re trying to work it out’ or whatever. ‘Thing’s gonna happen,'” Johnson said. “I don’t really know why it didn’t work out. Very shocked. My agent was shocked, too.”

Once it became clear he wouldn’t have a place in the NFL, Johnson set his sights on a new goal: securing a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to regain his eligibility at Colorado since he never signed a pro contract.

He had a backup plan, too.

“If the waiver didn’t go through, I was going to the CFL,” Johnson said. “I had coaches out there calling me, telling me to come out.”

Johnson resumed working out with Colorado three weeks ago. He eased his way into practice and eventually became, as defensive coordinator Chris Wilson said, the best scout team player on the team.

“It was weird staying out, not doing actual football contact stuff,” Johnson said. “Getting back into that groove felt really good, really nice to be in the pads.”

Johnson will be eligible to play for the first time this season on Saturday when Colorado hosts USC.

“I hope I can be an impact player again and do something that will help this team win in whatever facet of the game, whether it be my energy lifting up the team being a leader again, or whether it’s my play on the field,” Johnson said. “This is a second-chance opportunity that many people do not get so I need to make the best of it.”