PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson talked to students at Northeast High School on Tuesday, and his message went far beyond football.

The students may not have expected Johnson — at 6 feet 6 inches, 310 pounds — to describe being paralyzed with fear as he battled anxiety and depression as a freshman in junior college.

“Developing [my] mental health is something that I should have started a lot longer ago than what I did,” he said.

Students listened intently as Johnson spoke not about the groin injury keeping out of game play, not about protecting MVP contender Jalen Hurts — but about the time he took a leave from football two years ago to be treated for depression and anxiety.

“My challenge was, I didn’t know who to talk to. I didn’t have these resources you all have now.  So I had a lot of stuff bottled in.”

Johnson appeared at the school on behalf of Kooth, an online mental health service the School District of Philadelphia offers its students.

“I wish I had this type of thing when I was in school,” Johnson said. “So use it to your advantage. And don’t be ashamed or feel misled by any of this. It’s all for the greater good.”

Johnson advised students to write down their life goals, even if they don’t share them with anybody. And if they should feel fear or anxiety along the way, Johnson said, asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

Junior Joshua Scotland said it was inspiring to hear Johnson’s advice. And he said he appreciated the Eagle’s message that people experiencing mental health distress are not alone.

“Everyone goes through their own things. It’s really inspirational, and it touched me personally,” he said.

Scotland also won the school raffle for an autographed Lane Johnson jersey — something that no doubt gave his own mental health a boost on this day.