New Orleans Saints First Round Draft Choices: Joe Johnson (1994)

The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft will be held on Thursday, April 28, in Chicago, Illinois.

Between now and then, we’ll be looking back at all of the drafts of the New Orleans Saints, from 1967-2015.

Yesterday, we looked back at 1993.

Today: 1994

The 1994 draft was the 28th draft in the history of the Saints.

The pick: Joe Johnson, a defensive lineman from Louisville.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Johnson, who was the 13th-overall pick of the 1994 NFL Draft, had a successful stint with the Saints, being selected to the Pro Bowl twice in his career.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Johnson became an immediate starter at defensive end in his rookie season, making 36 tackles, including one sack.

Over the next four seasons, Johnson averaged 45 tackles and 7 sacks a season, before an injury took away his 1999 season.

Johnson returned in 2000 with a career-year, compiling 12 sacks, while being named to the Pro Bowl.

He was named to the Pro Bowl again in the 2001 campaign, he final one as a Saints, while he accumulated 53 tackles and 9 sacks.

Johnson left the Saints following the 2001 season, signing with the Green Bay Packers, where he played for two seasons, prior to retiring.

In 7 seasons with the Saints, Johnson played in 106 games, including 104 as a starter, compiling 306 total tackles, including 50.5 sacks.

In 9 total NFL seasons, Johnson appeared in 117 games, including 115 as a starter, accumulating 318 total tackles and 52.2 sacks.

The Saints made two other draft choices of note in 1994, selecting Arizona St. running back Mario Bates in the second round, and Texas linebacker Winfred Tubbs in the third round.