Daniel Johnson (offensive lineman)
Kenyan-Canadian gridiron football player (born 1999)
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Daniel Johnson (born September 1, 1999) is a Kenyan-Canadian professional gridiron football offensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Kent State and Purdue.
1-game injured listNairobi, Kenya
Johnson with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025 | |
| No. 65 – Saskatchewan Roughriders | |
|---|---|
| Position | Offensive lineman |
| Roster status | 1-game injured list |
| CFL status | National |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 1, 1999 Nairobi, Kenya |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 307 lb (139 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Catholic Central (London, Ontario, Canada) |
| College | Purdue |
| CFL draft | 2024: 5th round, 41st overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Early life
Daniel Johnson was born on September 1, 1999, in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya.[1][2] Johnson and some of his family moved to London, Ontario, when he was one year old.[2][3] Johnson later said "I still have family back home struggling and it’s great that my family and a couple of my cousins got to come over here and live a different life than my parents did."[2] He played high school football at Catholic Central High School in London, Ontario.[1][4] As a senior in 2017, he helped the team win the London City Championship while earning Canada First Team Defense honors.[4] Canadian Football Chat ranked him the No. 9 prospect in the class of 2018.[4]
College career
Johnson first played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes of Kent State University as an offensive lineman. He played in one game in 2018 before being redshirted.[4] He played in seven games, starting four, in 2019.[4] Johnson started three games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.[4] He appeared in four games, starting three, in 2021.[4]
In 2022, Johnson transferred to play for the Purdue Boilermakers of Purdue University. He played in five games, starting two, during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.[4] He suffered a torn ACL during his redshirt senior year.[3] Johnson earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2024 season.[4] He majored in education at Purdue.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6+1⁄8 in (1.98 m) | 313 lb (142 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 9+1⁄4 in (2.06 m) | 4.96 s | 8.06 s | 19 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
Johnson was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the fifth round, with the 41st overall pick, of the 2024 CFL draft.[1] He officially signed with the team on May 14, 2024.[6] He was moved to the practice roster on June 1, 2024, where he spent the remainder of the 2024 CFL season.[6] Johnson re-signed with the Roughriders on November 19, 2024.[6] In May 2025, head coach Corey Mace named Johnson the team's most improved player at training camp.[7] He began the 2025 season on the active roster, as a backup offensive lineman.[8]
Personal life
Johnson's brother George Johnson also played in the CFL.[1] Another brother, Alfred, played basketball at Fanshawe College and professionally in Germany.[2]