Steelers rookie Diontae Johnson says he can ‘run all day’
By Bryan Perez
Steelers third-round pick Diontae Johnson is impressing teammates with his conditioning early at Pittsburgh’s training camp.
The biggest questions facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 are on offense, where franchise superstars Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell moved on this offseason to the Raiders and Jets, respectively.
The Steelers already have a plan in place to fill Bell’s void. In fact, they’re used to him not being around. Bell sat out all of 2018 due to a contract dispute and his absence allowed James Conner to flourish as a full-time starter. They’ll be fine at running back.
Wide receiver is a different story. Sure, JuJu Smith-Schuster is poised to ascend into the NFL’s elite category, but all talented pass-catchers need a good running-mate. And that job is still up for grabs.
The first crack at the gig will go to veteran Donte Moncrief, who signed a free-agent contract with the team this offseason. Moncrief has always been viewed as a player with immense upside, but for one reason or another, he just hasn’t been able to string together enough production to find a stable home. He’s on his third team since 2014.
A sleeper candidate to grab starter’s reps is third-round pick, Diontae Johnson.
Johnson posted respectable numbers during his time at Toledo, although his 2018 season was a bit of a disappointment. He ended the year with just 761 yards and eight touchdowns after a 2017 campaign that saw him torch defenses for 1,278 yards and 13 scores.
And while his collegiate career didn’t end exactly how he wanted it to, he’s getting off to a good start at Steelers training camp.
Ben Roethlisberger has been impressed by the rookie’s conditioning.
“I saw him run his conditioning test, and he was barely breathing,” Roethlisberger said via Steelers.com. “You can tell that he really took that to heart, that he needed to get in great shape, and I’ve seen that so far.
“I’m excited for him.”
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Johnson was limited in offseason workouts because of a hamstring injury that he attributed to being out of shape because of the pre-draft circuit.
That’s over now, and Johnson is ready to run his way into a starting job.
“I’ll be able to run all day and make plays,” he said.