Is Diontae Johnson a Potential Dynasty Gem?
One of the most well-known qualities of the Steelers organization is that they are a wide receiver factory. From Hines Ward to Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the team has had no shortage of talent at one of the game’s most important positions.
It’s safe to say Pittsburgh knows a thing or two about scouting receivers, and they’ve needed to in order to replace Brown.
The latest evidence comes from Toledo’s Diontae Johnson, a third-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson received the worst-case scenario in his first season in the pros, as franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed 14 games due to an elbow injury. That resulted in the rookie playing with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.
Nevertheless, in spite of poor quarterback play, Johnson was able to put up 59 receptions for 680 yards, 11.53 yards per reception, and a team-leading five touchdowns. As a return specialist, Johnson was voted Second Team All-Pro by the Associated Press (officially used by the NFL, so you know it’s legit), and has been a fan favorite in the Steel City for his blend of receiving and special teams honors.
Steelers fans I’ve talked to suggest that Johnson has WR1 potential for the team, even with the presence of JuJu Smith-Schuster. So the question I want to raise for this article is this: Is Diontae Johnson a potential dynasty gem in the making? Let’s take a look.
The wide receiver class of 2019 was loaded with playmaking talent, with Marquise Brown, AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Darius Slayton, and Mecole Hardman turning in productive seasons in year number one. So it would take a lot for one player to stand out at this position, and thankfully Johnson had a few tricks up his sleeve to separate from the garden variety wideout.
Of course, the most important part of being a receiver is being able to consistently separate, and Johnson was able to do more than enough of that in 2019. On this play against the Ravens, for instance, he’s able to make a nice sharp cut at the top of his comeback route, creating enough separation between him and the corner.
His break is fast and quick enough for him to prevent the corner from coming into his window to disrupt the pass, so this example moves the chains for the Steelers.
Once again we see a comeback route on this play against the Cardinals. This game was notable in that Johnson had the first punt return touchdown for Pittsburgh since 2015 (Antonio Brown). The same scenario happens here as above. Johnson makes a nice, sharp cut at the top of his route and uses tight footwork on the sideline to haul in the touchdown reception. This ended up being the last win of the season for the Steelers.
Johnson’s route running is good enough for him to have a consistent career in the NFL, but the most appealing aspect of his game is by far his ability after the catch. Most decent receivers usually have some YAC ability, but something about Johnson’s athleticism still stands out and makes him enticing on his quest to becoming the Steelers’ WR1.
On this third-and-seven play, Johnson possesses after the catch traits similar to players like Duke Johnson or Le’Veon Bell, and he uses said traits to cut on a dime to leave Richard Sherman in the dust and buzzsaw through another defender to just reach the first down marker. In most instances, this play would have a low chance of converting, but Johnson is too swift to be taken down so easily. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Johnson tied with fellow rookie Deebo Samuel for the most missed tackles of any player in the 2019 season with 18 of them.
He takes this a step further with some impressive ball/adjustment skills at the catch point. Early on in the season he struggled with drops and anticipating hits, allowing a few passes to slip through his hands, but as the season went along he got better in letting this go.
Johnson runs a good route and gets separation on this out route, but the throw is slightly behind him. He’s able to adjust, but that risks getting hit by an incoming defensive back. Fortunately, Johnson is able to tightly caress the ball into his chest and absorbs the hit from the DB, allowing him to move the chains even after being forced to adjust.
The most memorable play of Johnson’s career, however, comes from his second career game, occurring against the Seahawks. The accuracy on this throw from Mason Rudolph is terrible, and should result in an interception.
In any situation you could possibly think of, is there one where you’d imagine it would be caught? A deflected pass would’ve been the best-case scenario, yet Johnson goes a step further and snatches this pass out of the air. It’s one of the best catches I’ve seen in recent memory, and a testament to the ball magnet Johnson could become in Pittsburgh.
Overall there’s a lot to like about Diontae Johnson after observing his rookie season. There’s definitely dynasty potential to draft him as a WR1 talent, as he has the goods in the route running and YAC departments, as well as a few snazzy adjustments at the catch point. After going through the tape and looking ahead to his 2020 season, it’s so easy to see why many Steelers faithful are optimistic about his future, and why some consider him the best player on that offense.
So I’m going to go ahead and say Johnson is a hidden gem at the position. If you’re running a dynasty team, it would be wise to consider scooping him up late, as he offers high potential at a low cost. After all, the Steelers know a thing or two about receivers.
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