C.J. Johnson, WR East Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Johnson was a three-star recruit from D.H. Conley High School in Greenville, N.C. in the class of 2019

East Carolina’s C.J. Johnson amassed more than 2,800 career receiving yards during his four years with the program. That puts him among a select group of ECU receivers that includes Justin Hardy, Dwayne Harris, and Zay Jones. Johnson is an interesting Day 3 player to watch in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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C.J. Johnson, WR East Carolina: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fourth-year junior outside receiver from Greenville, N.C.

Background: Johnson was a three-star recruit from D.H. Conley High School in Greenville, N.C. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,501 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,437 for On3.com. Johnson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 75 grade out of 100. He committed to East Carolina over Power Five offers from Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. During his high school career, Johnson amassed 239 receptions for 5,198 yards (108.3 yards per game) and 79 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 50 times for 713 yards and 17 touchdowns. Johnson finished his college career with 592 total points (including a pick-six and fumble-six). On defense, he totaled 47 tackles and two interceptions. As a sophomore, Johnson caught 88 passes for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games. He followed up with 68 receptions for 1,547 yards and 31 touchdowns in 13 games as a junior and 77 receptions for 1,701 yards and 23 touchdowns in 13 games as a senior. Johnson’s 31 touchdowns in 2017 were the second-most in a single season in state history. In 2018, he finished his high school career by totaling 2,267 all-purpose yards (174.4 yards per game). Johnson also served as the team’s punter. He lettered all four years and was a team captain as a senior. He received All-State honors from the Associated Press in 2017 and 2018. Johnson also lettered in basketball three times.

2022 Production: 13 games, 67 receptions, 1,016 yards, 9 touchdowns

2021 Production: 12 games, 35 receptions, 520 yards, 1 touchdown

2020 Production: 9 games, 19 receptions, 405 yards, 6 touchdowns

2019 Production: 12 games, 54 receptions, 908 yards, 4 touchdowns

Injuries & Off-Field: Suspended indefinitely prior to the 2022 season, suffered head/neck injury versus Cincinnati (2022)

Awards: 2019 Freshman All-American (FWAA), 2019 Honorable Mention All-American Athletic Conference, 2022 Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick and punt return units, gained significant exposure to the slot in 2022, compact player with plenty of mass, drops are rare, ball tracking, impressive vertical leap and extension for the ball, battles through contact early in the route and at the catch point, has improved foot quickness at the top of his routes throughout college, strong frame to break tackles for YAC, good understanding of holes in zone, moves with the QB to help create out of structure plays when things break down, large frame to help as a blocker

Cons: Four fumbles in the past three years, six penalties in the past two years, room to improve boxing out corners for the ball, hasn’t dominated in contested catch opportunities, not twitchy, sudden, or elusive, lacks burst off the line, gradual getting into his route, speed is built up, one-speed route runner, routes are more rounded than sharp, slow and not snappy at the top of his routes, minimal separation skills, doesn’t generate vertical separation, release package is underdeveloped, not deployed as an alignment-versatile threat, runs routes at half speed when the play isn’t designed to go his way, needs to improve effort and framing as a blocker

Overview: Johnson received official measurements at the NFLPA Bowl. He’s 6011 and 225 lbs. with large hands (1018) and good arm length (3218). After spending most of his snaps from 2019-2021 lined up as an outside receiver, Johnson kicked into the slot for his final collegiate season. He has enough special teams experience to offer upside in that area as a rookie. Johnson displays above-average ball tracking skills and an impressive vertical leap that dramatically increases his catch radius. His hands are reliable and rarely drop the ball. Johnson uses his size to battle through contact early in the route and at the catch point. The All-Conference wide receiver’s strong frame helps him break tackles for yards after the catch. Johnson has a solid understanding of the holes in zone and moves with the quarterback to create a target when plays break down. He improved his foot quickness at the top of his routes throughout his college career. Johnson has the frame to be a successful blocker, but his effort and framing are subpar in this area. His four fumbles in the past three seasons and six penalties in the past two years are concerning. There’s room for Johnson to improve his success rate in contested catch situations. The North Carolina native isn’t an elusive, sudden, or twitchy athlete, and he lacks burst off the line of scrimmage. Johnson is gradual getting into his routes and doesn’t showcase high-end speed. He’s mostly a one-speed route runner who doesn’t generate separation vertically. His routes are more rounded than sharp, and his cuts at the tops of route stems are slower than ideal. Johnson’s release package is underdeveloped. Unfortunately, East Carolina didn’t use him in exotic roles and missed out on the opportunity to give him snaps in the backfield. There’s some untapped potential in Johnson as a skill position chess piece.

Overall, Johnson has a powerful build and is physical at the catch point, but he lacks the agility and speed to create consistent separation and YAC against NFL defenses. Teams will want to know the nature of Johnson’s suspension, which led to him spending several months away from the team before returning on a probationary basis before the 2022 season.

Role & Scheme Fit: X receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Mid Seventh to UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 02-13-23