Kentucky LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson has fans
A week before the draft, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg published an article describing who college football coaches believe were the best sleepers going into the 2025 NFL Draft. Based on the consensus draft board, several of these players were drafted much earlier than they were expected to, so it appears that the NFL and college football were more often than not in line with their evaluations.
One player who didn’t get selected off of this list, though, was Kentucky linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who began his career at Georgia before transferring to the Wildcats in 2024. Below is what Rittenberg’s article had to say about the Green Bay Packers’ undrafted free agent:
Bio blast: He had a fascinating path through college football, starring for Georgia’s national title team in 2022, when he recorded 70 tackles, including a team-high nine for loss and four sacks. Dumas-Johnson was a finalist for the Butkus Award that year and seemed well on his way to a lofty draft position. But a forearm fracture in 2023 limited his field time and production, and he then transferred to Kentucky. Dumas-Johnson had a nice bounce-back, leading the team in tackles (67) while ranking third in tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (3.5). He also had an interception, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries, returning one for a touchdown against Texas.
Scouts Inc. ranking: No. 232 overall, No. 18 linebacker, grade of 49
What else to know: His experience jumps out, as he started 34 games in the SEC. Dumas-Johnson lacks overwhelming size at 6-1 and 238 pounds, but he ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at pro day and had a 37.5-inch vertical leap. “He had a really good pro day,” a Kentucky source said. Dumas-Johnson’s weight has fluctuated, but if he can play in the NFL at around 240 pounds, the athletic qualities that really popped early in his career at Georgia can shine through.
Dumas-Johnson will have a relatively easy path to make the Packers’ 53-man roster as an undrafted player. At the moment, Green Bay only rosters six off-ball linebackers on its entire 91-man roster. General manager Brian Gutekunst has spoken about wanting to carry more off-ball linebackers in 2025 than they did in 2024, when he said the team struggled with holding onto just five linebackers in their first year of the 4-3 scheme.
For the Packers to keep six linebackers in 2025, they’ll not only need to roster Dumas-Johnson but also Kristian Welch, a player whom they released at cutdowns last year and returned to Green Bay this offseason after spending time with the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. Hopefully, Dumas-Johnson is the player that these college coaches believe he can be at the next level.