Lonnie Johnson's two years in Lexington following a JUCO stint paid off handsomely for the Kentucky football program, which benefited from his strong play in the secondary, and it seems to have worked out well for the cornerback himself.

On Friday evening, Johnson was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 54th pick in the second round of the NFL Draft.

There had been some buzz that Johnson could sneak into the first round with some mocks projecting him to go as high as No. 20 overall, but the second round choice is still a major accomplishment for a player who hadn't generated a lot of draft buzz before the 2018 season and especially after the year.

At the NFL Draft Combine, Johnson measured 6-foot-2 and weighed 213 pounds, running the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and showing impressive agility for a defensive back of his stature.

Johnson's journey to the NFL had plenty of twists and turns. Originally as a high school recruit Johnson was committed to Ohio State before he signed with Western Michigan. He ended up at Garden City Community College in Kansas before enrolling at Kentucky before the 2017 season.

Over two seasons for Kentucky, in 2017 and 2018, Johnson recorded 67 tackles (52 solo), had a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.

He unseated Chris Westry as a starting corner for the Wildcats on the opposite side of the field from Derrick Baity and remained in that role for the majority of his Kentucky career, helping to spearhead the Wildcats' defense, which allowed just 16.8 points per game and was 23rd in the country in total yardage allowed.