With The First Pick
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Tyler Johnson: An underrated gem in a historic WR class

By Sam Penix

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 09: Wide receiver Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers makes a reception in front of cornerback Keaton Ellis #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions before scoring a touchdown during the second quarter at TCFBank Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 09: Wide receiver Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers makes a reception in front of cornerback Keaton Ellis #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions before scoring a touchdown during the second quarter at TCFBank Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 23: Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers makes a catch in front of JR Pace #13 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Ryan Field on November 23, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 23: Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers makes a catch in front of JR Pace #13 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Ryan Field on November 23, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

Strengths

Size

At the NFL Combine, Johnson measured in at 6’1″ 206lbs. Not elite size, but he isn’t slight either. He’ll likely be primarily a slot WR in the NFL, and he’s more than big enough for that, but also has the ability to play outside if needed.

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Route running

This is an area where Johnson has both pros and cons. He’s a smooth route-runner who created plenty of separation at the college level displaying nuanced body control and knowledge of how to beat DBs. However, he isn’t perfect. He often takes longer to get off the line of scrimmage due to his stutter-step and curl and dig routes he takes too many steps at the top of his route, limiting how much space he is able to create. Johnson is considered by some to be the best route runner in this class, which of course is just a matter of opinion, but he’s got things to work on here that could really improve his game.

Hands

Johnson has strong hands. He plucks the ball out of the air with ease, even on poor throws. He makes it look easy. His catch radius is excellent; as long as he can touch it, he can pull it in. He does have some concentration drops; 24 in his career, but he’s shown the ability to catch anything; his consistency will need to be improved.

Contested catches

When contested, Johnson excels. He can make catches through contact, especially in the red zone, where he provides a great jump ball target. He caught 66.7% of his contested targets in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus, a number significantly above the NCAA average.

Ball tracking

Johnson isn’t a deep threat, but when he has gotten behind the defense, he’s shown excellent ball skills. He has such an innate feel for tracking the ball, whether it’s over his shoulder on a full sprint or working back to the QB.

Development stage

Johnson’s performance at the collegiate level considering his inexperience is nothing short of impressive. He’s earned PFF receiving grades of over 90 in each of the past two seasons, and was the FBS’s highest-graded WR in 2019. He’s far from a perfect player, but the progress he’s made in such a short time should give NFL teams hope that he can become even better with professional coaching and training.

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