He called them "rat poison" on Monday afternoon, and said he doesn't pay attention to any of them.

But the reality is this: Florida State's Jermaine Johnson has flown up the boards of various mock drafts over the last few months, and he now sits poised to be selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

As he answered questions ahead of Tuesday's Pro Day at Florida State, the 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year reflected on his decision to leave Georgia a year ago and transfer to Florida State.

Johnson bet on himself. And in about a month, when he hears his name called from the podium, he'll cash in. Just don't tell him what the mock drafts are saying.

"I don't like to look at it," Johnson said. "If my agent wants to look at that stuff, he can. But I don't want to look at it. I keep my head down and I work and I train. Same thing when I was at Florida State. You can get hype or whatever, but I never paid attention to that.

"I was focused on being the best teammate I could. And in this case, I'm focused on keeping my head down and doing things right off the field. So, when the time comes I'm ready."

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He might not focus on the draft "experts," but what they say is that Johnson has drastically improved his stock over the last six months.

First and foremost, he had a great final season at FSU. He totaled 70 tackles, including a team-high 18.5 for loss. He also had 12 sacks, two forced fumbles and that one memorable touchdown at Clemson.

If that wasn't enough, he went and had a great showing at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile and then ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

Now, he is being mentioned as one of the first defensive ends off the board come early May. ESPN's Mel Kiper recently said he could be a Top 15 pick in the first round and might even sneak into the Top 10.

"As far as narratives and projections and all that other stuff," Johnson said, "I can't control that. But I can control how I work."

And he did plenty of work in Mobile, Ala., becoming one of the breakthrough performers during that week of Senior Bowl practices. While working against some of the best offensive tackles in the country, he looked unblockable at times.

"I went there because I wanted to prove I could do what I do against anybody," Johnson said. "In this case, the best of the best. And I think I did that. Other people think I did as well."

*ALSO SEE: Video interviews with FSU's other Pro Day participants

After his strong showing at the Combine last month, Johnson said he would only be participating in the bench press on Tuesday during FSU's Pro Day. He likely has shown the scouts enough already. But, as always, he said he wanted to be there to support his teammates during their drills.

And, he said, the Florida State team is his family for life -- even though he only spent one year in Tallahassee.

The feeling is certainly mutual. There have been very few players in the history of the FSU program that have become so beloved so fast. In his one season, he became a player who Florida State fans will continue to embrace for a long, long time.

And he could very well become the Seminoles' first Top 10 pick since Jalen Ramsey in 2016.

Not that he's trying to think about that too much, but he also doesn't have his head completely in the sand. He knows very well his life is about to change.

Partly because of what he did on the field for three months with the Seminoles, and partly because of how he has performed in two major showcases since.

"No one in my family has done anything like this," Johnson said. "Being able to go there (the NFL Combine) and experience that is a blessing. It's a long week, but it's fun. And I got to be around some of the best guys in my class.

"It was just awesome to be around that environment, talking to all these teams. It's something you dream of."

Johnson said the background checks have been pretty intense, adding that some teams have delved all the way back to his middle school days in Minnesota.

He joked there were a couple of interviews where he said to himself, "How did you know that?"

But overall, he said he's really enjoyed the experience.

And, as one might imagine, the feedback from NFL scouts has been almost all positive.

"They like the film," Johnson said. "The film speaks for itself for the most part. To them, I played really well."

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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council