It took Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson a couple of seasons to hit his stride, but now that he has, there’s no looking back.
Coming from a non-Power 5 school, the pace of the NFL smacked Johnson in the face. He feels like it wasn’t until the end of his rookie season that he started feeling more comfortable in the pro system.
“The game was really fast coming in,” Johnson said on NFL Radio‘s SiriusXM Blitz. “I just made plays whenever my number was called.”
“Once the game started slowing down, I could see things better, read defenses — that helped certain releases I could do off the line.”
Johnson’s progression with each season was evident: 680 yards in 2019 (59 receptions) and 923 in 2020 (88 receptions).
In six games, Johnson has logged 474 yards (he did not play Week 3 in the loss to Bengals). He’s averaging just under 12 yards per reception this season and an impressive 80 yards per game.
“Now I’m in my third year. I can see everything, and I know what to do instantly. The game has slowed down tremendously for me.”
“I’m way more comfortable than I was in my first two years,” Johnson said. “I just feel like I’m just I haven’t reached my peak yet; I’m still elevating. I’m just gonna continue to keep doing what I’ve been doing, and I trusted the man upstairs every day absolutely in you can see that on film.”
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