Throughout the 2022 season, we'll be checking in with Chargers players:
Next up, is Zion Johnson.
After the Bolts selected him No. 17 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson plugged in as the team's starting right guard and hasn't looked back.
Here's more from No. 77 on what the transition to the NFL has been like, communication on the offensive line, working the right side with Trey Pipkins III, and more.
You're a few weeks into your first season in the NFL. How's it been going for you?
Johnson: We've gotten to experience the highs, lows, wins, and losses. And my goal has always been to learn from every experience, try to get better as fast as I can, and try to help the team win.
What is the transition like from the draft, to the offseason program, to training camp, to games?
For those of us who don't play, how much of it is the physical transition or the mental switch?
Johnson: I'd say it's a lot of mental. It's a very fast transition; you're at the draft and next thing you know, you're here for the offseason program. You have to learn the plays, get integrated with the team and learn to work with a new set of teammates.
Then, you get into camp and it's live. The bullets are flying and you're going up against other teams in joint practices, preseason, and next thing you know, you're in the regular season.
The biggest transition is definitely mental, having to adapt and be ready at a moment's notice. But you have a lot of support and people around you to help make that transition more seamless.
