The Jacksonville Jaguars’ doubled-up at the cornerback position this week by adding both C.J. Henderson and Josiah Scott in the first and fourth rounds, respectively. They followed that trend with selection No. 165 by selecting Texas receiver Collin Johnson to pair with second-round pick Laviska Shenault Jr.
Coming into the draft process it was clear the Jags needed a big-target receiver to help convert the chains and garner jump balls, and similar to Shenault, Johnson can offer that. At 6-foot-6, 222-pounds, Johnson will be the tallest wide out on the Jags’ roster.
Johnson is coming off a 2019 season in which he missed time with a hamstring injury but started in seven games, registering 38 catches, 559 yards, and three touchdowns. Prior in 2018, he was able to register eight receptions for 985 yards, and seven touchdowns in 13 contests.
Per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, he was projected to be a sixth-round pick. In his overview, he stated that Johnson offered good ball skills alongside his size but felt he disappeared a little against elite competitors.
Productive outside receiver with great size and ball skills, but below-average speed. May need to find an offense that allows him to work downfield, where size overrides quickness once the ball is in the air. He missed a chunk of 2019 due to a lingering hamstring issue, but looked fairly pedestrian against LSU’s talented cornerbacks. He should work well against zone, but needs to play stronger to battle back against the contested catches he’s going to see. Johnson may need a more limited route-tree that allows him to open up his stride and exploit size mismatches down the field.
To help get the best out of Johnson, the Jags will put him in the hands of receivers coach Keenan McCardell, who has been a great teacher for the current group. When considering how much the team valued current Green Bay Packer receiver Allen Lazard, Johnson has a chance to stick as a red-zone target for Gardner Minshew II.
