Theo Johnson, TE Penn State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Johnson was a four-star recruit from Holy Names High School in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in the class of 2020
Penn State tight end Theo Johnson received plenty of hype as a breakout candidate in each of the past two seasons. The standout year never came, but Johnson is still a legitimate prospect who will hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Theo Johnson, TE Penn State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Fourth-year junior tight end from Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Background: Johnson was a four-star recruit from Holy Names High School in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in the class of 2020. He was the No. 72 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 74 for On3.com. Johnson was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 103rd in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Johnson lettered twice in high school playing wide receiver and was a team captain as a senior. He led Holy Names to SWOSSAA and OFSAA titles as a junior and senior and was selected for the Under Armour All-American Game. Johnson was his team’s MVP and a First Team All-City selection in 2018 and 2019. His brother, Dominic, played football at the University of Buffalo, and his father, Nate, played football and ran track at Hillsdale College.
Injuries & Off-Field: Didn’t play in 2022 Ohio and Purdue games, missed 2023 spring practices, charged in April of 2023 with misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal mischief from an incident in February of that year
Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2023 Team Captain
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units, experience playing in the slot, in-line, H-back, and out wide, offers alignment versatility, arm length will meet NFL thresholds, good size to tower over defenders, impressive frame with room at add weight, above average athleticism for the position, speed to run by linebackers, quickly gets between the second and third levels, learning to mix route tempo, quick footwork at the stem’s peak, finds holes against zone coverage, comfortable making catches with defenders in his space, strong hands, reliable hands catcher, competitive blocker who displaces defensive backs, stays square to the defender as a blocker and drives legs
Cons: Schemed more touches in 2023, not a high-volume player in college, background as a high school WR doesn’t consistently shine through, struggles to release through contact, release package is underdeveloped, speed is more built up than sudden, route running is developmental, not a natural separator, doesn’t sink hips in route, doesn’t generate much separation vs. defensive backs, doesn’t break many tackles, contact balance, athleticism hasn’t translated into eye-catching YAC totals, not dynamic after the catch, instances of being overpowered as a blocker, some blocking busts leading to TFLs, inconsistent angles to blocks, inconsistent pad level as a blocker, shouldn’t be trusted in pass pro
Overview: Johnson has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units and takes snaps in the slot, in-line, at H-back, and out wide. He has an impressive frame that still has room to develop further. Johnson’s arm length and measurables should meet, if not surpass, NFL thresholds. He has above-average athleticism for the position, including the speed to blow by linebackers. The Canadian tight end quickly gets between the second and third levels. He is learning to mix route tempo to manipulate and soften coverages. Johnson deploys quick footwork at the stem’s peak. He does a good job finding holes in zone coverage. The junior is comfortable making catches with defenders crowding his air space. He has strong, reliable hands to haul in contested catches. Johnson is a competitive blocker who erases defensive backs and excels when he stays square to the defender and drives his legs. However, there are plays where he is overpowered and driven back. Johnson had a good number of busts as a run blocker that led to tackles for loss. He takes poor angles to second-level blocks and doesn’t maintain a consistent pad level. His work in pass protection isn’t promising. Johnson was schemed plenty of touches in 2023, but he has never been a high-volume college player. His background as a high school wide receiver isn’t nearly as obvious as it was for Sam LaPorta last year. Johnson’s release package is underdeveloped and negatively affects his ability to play through contact early in the route. The former four-star recruit’s speed is more built up than sudden. His route running is developmental. He doesn’t sink his hips while going through cuts mid-route and isn’t a natural separator. After the catch, Johnson displays lackluster contact balance and doesn’t break many tackles. He isn’t dynamic with the ball in his hands and hasn’t developed into a reliable generator of yards after the catch.
Overall, Johnson is an above-average athlete at the tight end position with an impressive frame and some positional versatility, but his route running and ability to create after the catch don’t warrant a top 100 selection. Johnson projects as an early-career backup who could become a starter toward the end of his rookie contract.
Role & Scheme Fit: Slot tight end with developmental in-line upside
Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth
Size: 6'6", 260 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 12-30-23