USC’s Stafon Johnson eager to play in Senior Bowl

Stafon Johnson can take a hit.

Four months after suffering near-fatal throat injuries, the former USC running back proved that this week as NFL coaches and scouts looked on during practices for the Senior Bowl.

But Johnson is eager to take the next step, to prove to the pro football cognoscenti and fans that he can absorb -- and deliver -- game-speed contact when he carries the ball for the South team today at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

“I want to show them I can complete the football game and do things right and be a complete player,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “Once I do that, everything will fall into place.”

Johnson’s voice is raspy, but it sounds melodious to those who wondered whether he would speak again. The giggles and hearty laughter remain, as distinguishing as his bursts into the end zone for the Trojans.

After Johnson led USC in rushing as a junior and scored five touchdowns in the Trojans’ first four games last fall, his presence at the Senior Bowl had been a foregone conclusion.

That changed Sept. 28, when, during a weightlifting session at USC, a bar loaded with 275 pounds fell onto his throat.

Johnson was rushed to a hospital and underwent more than seven hours of surgery. A physician later explained that Johnson’s fitness and the well-developed musculature in his neck probably saved his life.

Johnson was hospitalized for more than two weeks, undergoing several additional surgeries during his stay and after his release. In November, at a news conference before the Trojans’ game against Stanford, Johnson spoke publicly for the first time.

“God has a plan,” he whispered, quoting his late grandfather: “Run, Stafon. Run.”

After resuming workouts in December, Johnson received an invitation to the Senior Bowl, the first official evaluation on the way to April’s NFL draft.

The invite was special to Johnson because he wanted “to show what kind of competitor I was, how serious I am about it and how precious this game is to me,” he said.

Johnson never doubted he would play again.

“I knew I would come back,” he said. “I just didn’t know when it would be. Three years from now? Two years from now? I just knew I wasn’t going to give up.”

Kim Mallory, Johnson’s mother, also believed. But she acknowledges concern about seeing her son play pro football.

Her fears have nothing to do with his throat, which requires no extra protection, and everything to do with the size, speed and aggressiveness of NFL defenders.

“Even before his accident, I was always worried about the Rey Maualugas, Ray Lewises and Troy Polamalus,” she said. “You think of those guys on the next level -- that’s a whole ‘nother ballgame.

“That’s why I used to ask him, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to play baseball?’ ”

Johnson has dreamed of playing in the NFL since his Pop Warner days.

The 5-foot-11 former Dorsey High star arrived in Mobile weighing 214 pounds. He is one of 11 running backs on the two Senior Bowl rosters. Trojans safety Taylor Mays, offensive lineman Jeff Byers and tight end Anthony McCoy also are on the South team.

Though confident in his ability, Johnson was anxious before the first one-on-one drill. But he did not hesitate initiating a collision.

“I was so aggressive, just trying to get somebody, that I had to calm down and get it back to football,” he said, chuckling.

The first time he was tackled “felt good,” he said. “After that happened it was like, ‘OK, now the ball is rolling. Just go from there.’ ”

Coaches and scouts have been impressed as much by Johnson’s will as his skill.

“He didn’t look tentative at all,” an NFL coach said, requesting anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. “It looked like he was just getting his feet under him at the start, but he got better every day.”

An NFL scout said Johnson did not stand out and projected him as a possible late-round pick.

“He’s not a special back as far as speed, quickness or run skills,” the scout said. “But he did do a great job as far as rehabbing, and he showed a lot of character and toughness to get himself back in shape and get himself back on the field.”

Johnson, represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus, is not concerned about where he might be drafted.

Today’s game, next month’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis and USC’s pro day workout in late March or April will help determine his stock.

For now, Johnson’s just happy to be back doing what he loves. His experience, he said, has made him stronger and wiser.

“It’s taught me that at all times you’ve got to make sure you hold on to all the little things,” he said. “Play as if it’s your last down and last day, because anything can happen.”

gary.klein@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimesklein

Times staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.