HARRISONBURG — Cardon Johnson aced the question.

Unrehearsed, the answer was exactly what any NFL scout, coach or personnel decision-maker needs to know when determining whether or not the former James Madison running back is worth the risk of a roster spot, an invite to rookie minicamp or even a tryout.

“I’m just going to tell ‘em, 'I’ll give it my everything,'” Johnson said. “I got a lot I’m fighting for. I’m not just doing this for myself. I’m doing this for my family. I’m doing this for my daughter.

“I’ve had rough experiences coming through this game of football and suffering many injuries during my time, but that never was a factor for me when it came to understanding that nothing in life comes easy. Everything in life that you truly desire, you’re going to have to work hard for.”

Johnson doesn’t hide his motivation — one he said helped him in his choice to return to JMU for a sixth season this past fall and the one propelling him forward in pursuit of the NFL despite past setbacks of a twice-torn Achilles in college and a neck injury in high school which would serve as plenty enough reason to put away the helmet, shoulder pads and spikes for good.

Chloe Johnson, Cardon’s 1-year old daughter, is his inspiration.

“She gave me a lot of heart to understand that the opportunity of the sixth year wasn’t just for me,” said Johnson, who is preparing for the Dukes’ pro day on March 26. “It gave me a different level of motivation to come out and strive to do my best in practice and when we transitioned to the games on Saturday.

“… She played a major role in the process this last year I had with JMU and in the process of the transition to get the opportunity to hopefully play in the National Football League.”

Johnson said this past season Chloe, who turns 2 in June, saw him play a few times at Bridgeforth Stadium and when the Dukes traveled to Norfolk State near his hometown of Newport News.

The 5-foot-9, 200-pound back played in every game and started 12 times during the 2018 campaign for JMU. Those two stats alone were monumental steps forward for Johnson, who suffered season-ending Achilles injuries in each of the two prior years.

“Just to see her out there at the games she was at,” Johnson said, “and running around the stands when the stands were full, I could eventually see her and we were making eye contact. And those are special moments that I’ll always remember with just the impact she had on me and me being able to finish out strong this last sixth year I had with JMU.”

Johnson isn’t going to be listed as a top prospect or one on the rise anywhere. He hasn’t been since ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay listed Johnson in a column after the Warwick High grad rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns in JMU’s 2017 season-opening win at FBS East Carolina.

But Johnson said he felt like he started to play his best football at the end of his last go-around with Madison and that he carries positive momentum into the pro day evaluation.

A season-high 162 rushing yards highlighted with a season-long 76-yard touchdown run at Towson in November flashed the breakaway acceleration he used to outrun defenders earlier in his career. He added another rushing score in the team’s season-ending loss in the second round of the FCS playoffs at Colgate.

“It’s been full throttle ever since then,” Johnson said.

Johnson is still in graduate classes, so he’s working out at JMU with assistant strength and conditioning coach Mike Morris and fellow outgoing teammates Darrious Carter, Robert Carter Jr., David Eldridge and Trai Sharp.

“We’ve been working hard each and every day,” Johnson said, “holding each other accountable and making sure we’re working toward that ultimate goal. We’re making sure we’re in the absolute best condition, mentally and physically, to perform at a high level on pro day.”

This offseason is also the first one in three years Johnson isn’t only focused on rehab and trying to get back on the field. He said he’s proud he was healthy all the way through his final season at JMU to complete his career correctly, and that it’s allowed for normalcy in his training for the NFL.

“It was the best six years of my life regardless of success or trials and tribulations along the way,” Johnson said. “… I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my six years of being a student-athlete anywhere else. It’s truly a special place and I loved every moment of my time here. I’m thankful and truly grateful for it and the lifelong relationships that I’ve been able to create here.”

Chloe is keeping Johnson ready for next month, too, he said.

While the 40-yard dash, shuttle run or L-drill, might be most important to those scouts watching, all Chloe cares about is how much energy he can put into playing with her.

“We were at Chuck E. Cheese this past weekend, and man I couldn’t keep up,” Johnson said with a laugh. “For a 1-year old, going on 2, she has some real speed, and I’ll have her at one game and she’ll tug my finger and say ‘Let’s go over here,’ and then she’ll just let my finger go and start running because she’ll see the other kids running. But, I’ll be like, ‘Man, where’d she go?’ She’s just running around all the games and I’ll finally get my eyes on her and catch up to her, so I’m trying to keep up.”