Late Round Gem Spotlight: Charles Johnson

Steve Wyremski

The Packers, much to the credit of GM Ted Thompson, are well known for their aptitude at drafting talented wide receivers who are undervalued. While not considered late picks as second rounders, Thompson hit on several receivers over the years including Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Packers waited until the seventh round to select a wide receiver, but Charles Johnson may very well fall into line with those three as Thompson’s wide receiver successes.

Not many people heard much about Johnson until he destroyed his pro day with a stud performance in early March. He wasn’t invited to the Combine, but he caught the attention of all 24 NFL scouts in attendance at his pro day displaying superb athleticism with the following metrics:

  • 4.38 40 time
  • 39.5 inch vertical
  • 11.1 inch broad jump
  • 4.31 short shuttle
  • 6.38 three cone

It was an all-around impressive show for a guy with a prototypical receiver body type at 6’2” and 215 pounds. Johnson’s numbers above are pro day results and not from the NFL Combine, so they aren’t directly comparable since surface impacts results, but Johnson has similar if not better numbers than some historically valuable dynasty assets such as Julio Jones, Hakeem Nicks, Anquan Boldin and Roddy White.

It’s an impressive group for a seventh round draft pick to be compared to. While remarkable, these comparisons aren’t meant to suggest that Johnson is a certainty to shape up like or better than these individuals since some of these players are a bit bigger or smaller than Johnson. However, it shows just how athletic Johnson is given that his pro day performance is right in the mix, if not better, than these receivers.

Along with his pro day results, Johnson has the college production at Grand Valley State (Division II), as well:

Year

School

Games

Rec

Yards

YPC

Long

TDs

2007

Eastern Kentucky

11

3

63

21

NA

0

2008

Antelope Valley CC

NA

24

231

9.6

NA

3

2011

Grand Valley State

11

56

1030

18.4

71

15

2012

Grand Valley State

11

72

1199

16.7

60

16

charles_johnsonOver the past two seasons, Johnson was a man amongst boys against Division II competition. Watch clips of his highlight tape and you can see that yourself. In any short clip, you’ll see his explosiveness mirrors his measurables. He’s at his best in the open field and when the play calls for a screen. Not only that, but he exhibits the ability to get off the ground and snatch the ball when needed. In fact, one of Johnson’s best attributes is that he catches with his hands as opposed to his body. He snatches the ball out of the air with ease, which is a critical attribute for a receiver to possess. There aren’t many studs who don’t have that skill.

In summary, what is clear from the above, as well as the game clip link, is that Johnson has the size, college production, explosiveness, hands, and pure talent to excel.

Unfortunately, there is a reason he dropped to the last round of the draft. Johnson comes with baggage. As you can see from his college production chart above, there was a two-year gap between 2008 and 2011 where Johnson didn’t play because of issues that date back to 2007 at Eastern Kentucky.

His college career timeline is messy, so try to stay with this. It started in 2007 when he received an offer from Louisville out of high school. Unfortunately for Johnson, he didn’t qualify until after signing day and Louisville rescinded their offer. As a result, he went to Eastern Kentucky with hopes of ultimately transferring to a Division I school.

At Eastern Kentucky, he was suspended after a stolen laptop was found in a room that he shared with a teammate. Neither took responsibility for it, so both were suspended. In 2008, Johnson transferred to Antelope Valley Community College and played one season there. He sat out the 2009 season due to family issues, and in 2011, he transferred to Grand Valley State.

The reason he transferred to Grand Valley State as opposed to playing Division I football was due to the fact that he’d only have one more year of Division I eligibility. Before becoming aware of that, he actually discussed a transfer with a number of Division I schools, including Kentucky. However, after discovering that he would only have one year of Division I eligibility, he decided to play two seasons at Grand Valley State.

Overall, this timeline isn’t exactly what you want to see from an NFL prospect.

One large concern with the above is obviously the stolen laptop issue. Similar to Ahmad Bradshaw, teams don’t typically want to risk an earlier draft pick on a guy with potential off the field issues. There is a silver lining there, though. When asked the cause of the suspension, Johnson, while not directly admitting guilt, refers to the suspension cause as “immature things.” After spending some time away dealing with family issues post-suspension, it appears he may be on the straight and narrow with two productive seasons and no off the field incidents.

The other concern is that because of the convoluted timeline, Johnson is already 24 years old. With a player coming out of a small school, he’s going to need some time to catch up and get accustomed to the increased speed. He’ll have a steep learning curve. Many have done it before (see Cecil Shorts, Miles Austin, Pierre Garcon, etc.), however, these guys were a few years younger coming out of college and, therefore, had more time to develop. With that said, he was a Division I prospect at one point having been recruited by and receiving an offer from Louisville in 2007 and others, including Kentucky, in 2011.  The potential is there with Johnson.

Finally, the situation he’s landed in with Green Bay is perfect. He’s doesn’t need to compete immediately, but he’s with a franchise that has one of the best quarterbacks in the league and, if not in 2013, he’ll have an opportunity in a year or two with James Jones set to be a free agent in 2014 and Jordy Nelson / Randall Cobb in 2015. He’ll compete directly with Jarrett Boykin year one for the fourth wide receiver spot, but if Johnson’s measurables begin to translate as a rookie, it’ll be difficult for Boykin to hold him off.

Ultimately, Johnson carries the physical attributes that few receivers in the league possess. He’ll need some coaching to refine and develop his raw ability, but it’s there. For a dynasty prospect, that costs a late third at the most (and more likely) a mid-to-late fourth round pick, Johnson is a later round prospect with significant upside.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveWyremski