Quentin Johnston, TCU (6’2”, 208)
What Scouts Say:
Size and speed monster, a threat at all three levels. Not a crisp route runner due to his size consistently gains inside position on routes and wins leverage vs DBs in multiple ways throughout the route and/or catch. Can score from anywhere on the field, a natural playmaker. Physical with DBs, attacks the ball at the catch point. 1.5 years of strong production. Johnston had inconsistent production and is sometimes a game wrecker, and he sometimes disappears (especially in the Natty vs Georgia). He is dynamic after the catch despite his size. Struggles against zone and has drop issues at times.
What We Saw:
Tony:
Quentin Johnston is a polarizing prospect for a reason, and when I started watching his tape it left me with more questions than answers. Let’s start with what I know: Johnston is a menace at the second and third level, wins jump balls, is a beast after the catch, and can make guys miss. At the same time, he has drop issues, he can’t separate especially well, and honestly, a TON of his production came against coverage that was extremely cushioned. He disappears in games, and those games tended to be ones where he was bodied at the line constantly, and that worries me at the next level. I think Quentin Johnston can be a productive NFL WR, but it’s gonna take more development than we think.
Shane:
QJ is one of the most perplexing prospects I’ve scouted so far. Some moments I’m fully bought in at an early first and other times I’m cool with waiting till the late first. The dude is a genetic freak with a long frame that he uses well to manipulate to get the bell as well as using his long strides to burn DBs. One of the cases where the person is probably too big for their own well-being at the moment, which hopefully will go away with age as he does feel a tad awkward at times with movement and use of his lower body. He is a dawg who will hand-fight DBsand use his frame to give them the ol’ box out to muscle the ball his way. QJ has a good YAC ability and a skillset that can be used all over the field, which is great to see for a guy who is going to be drafted to be the alpha in whatever offense he gets taken before pick 20. Not sure how his disappearance in the championship weighs on anyone but it is a tiny red flag for the level of competition he’ll face in The NFL. He can develop a little more in zone analysis and route tree depth but the sky’s the limit for what he can be. He feels very boom-bust, Christian Watson style, where his detractors will more than likely be wrong. Personally, I have him below JSN and Addison due to baked-in risk but if you want to roll the dice on a guy who can take over an offense, I support that belief.
Player Comparison:
Alshon Jeffrey/Mike Williams
