Ezra Ray Johnson (born October 2, 1955) is a retired American football defensive end who played for the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Oilers in a 15-year career that lasted from 1977 to 1991 in the National Football League (NFL). A first-round pick from Morris Brown College by the Green Bay Packers in 1977, Johnson was known as one of the best defensive linemen in his first few years in the league. Johnson earned a spot in the 1979 Pro Bowl after unofficially finishing second, to Detroit Lions Al "Bubba" Baker, with 20.5 sacks in 1978. (Quarterback sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982.) However, by 1981, Johnson's career was marred by a series of back injuries and allegations of his lack of discipline on the field, including one incident in which he ate a hot dog while sitting on the bench during a preseason game, and being inconsistent at times. He lost and regained his starting job multiple times during that period. Johnson was exclusively used as the third-down pass rush specialist after 1986, and took a leadership role with the team. He was released by the Packers in 1988 and played with two seasons with the Colts, and one with the Oilers before retiring in 1991. Despite his adverse relationship with the team at times, Johnson was elected to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1997. College career Johnson played college football at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. In his last year at Morris Brown he had 112 tackles and 28 sacks. However his size and the small school he played for helped lower his draft stock. He was projected to go anywhere from the first to fourth rounds prior to the NFL Draft. Professional career Green Bay Packers Johnson was drafted as the 28th pick of the first round in the 1977 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Johnson was considered a "gamble pick" for the Packers because of lack of major college experience and his relatively small size for a defensive end. In his rookie season, Johnson appeared in 14 games as the backup for Alden Roche at defensive end. Johnson significantly improved in his second year, becoming one of the top defensive ends in the league with his explosivness off the snap and his speed, a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, being the main factors for his success.