The Jacksonville Jaguars came into April’s draft in need of a big-bodied wide receiver and ended up drafting two. In addition to second round pick Laviska Shenault Jr., the team circled back to the receiver position and selected Texas receiver Collin Johnson late in the process, too.
Both will give Gardner Minshew II wide-range targets, but Johnson, who is 6-foot-6, 222-pounds, will particularly be the team’s biggest receiver when he steps on the field. That was a big part of what made him successful in Texas, but due to injuries hindering him in 2019 and concerns for his speed, his draft stock dropped tremendously from 2019 to 2020. As a result, he was available in the fifth round for the Jags to snag.
Despite that, Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling labeled Johnson as the Jags’ biggest steal this April in a recent post.
The reason Easterling and others believe Johnson is a steal is that they’re likely taking into consideration his 2018 season. That season was his strongest as he participated in 13 contests, registered 68 catches for 985 yards and seven touchdowns. When adding in how he utilized his size with that production, there were some who considered him a first round pick in April of 2019.
The good thing is that the Jags will get to gradually bring him into things as it appears D.J. Chark, Chris Conley, Dede Westbrook, and probably Shenault will be ahead of him on the depth chart. That could lead to him being utilized mostly for red-zone situations in 2020 while 2021 will present a chance for him to move up on the depth chart with Conley, Westbrook, and Cole set to be free agents next year.