NYG • TE • #84
Johnson (6'6/259) didn’t see much run during his first two years in Happy Valley and posted a minor breakout campaign in his third season on campus with a 20/328/4 receiving line. He followed that up with a 34/341/7 line in his final collegiate season. Johnson never took on a full-time role at Penn State, failing to reach a 60 percent route run in a single season. When he was on the field, he wasn’t a priority of the passing attack and logged a dismal .14 targets per route. Johnson drastically boosted his draft stock at the combine with a 4.57 40-yard dash and a 4.19-second three-cone drill. He also crushed the jumps en route to a 9.92 RAS. He showed glimpses of that athleticism in contested catch situations, bringing down 67 percent of his career contested targets, but he contributed little after the catch and was inconsistent as a blocker. Johnson has the size and athleticism to big a difference-maker at the next level, but he needs to drastically refine his technique as a run-blocker and as a route-runner. With rumors swirling that Darren Waller is retiring, Johnson may be thrust into a starting role as a rookie, even if his game isn’t NFL-ready just yet. He could provide TE2 numbers based on volume alone if Waller is out of the picture.
9 months ago
April 27, 2024 4:35 PM
