Jags rookie WR Collin Johnson discusses his thoughts on being a late draft pick

Another day of camp is in the books for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the offense has made some noteworthy plays in the past few days of it. The wide receivers in particular have flashed as of late with Jags’ offensive coordinator Jay Gruden …

Another day of camp is in the books for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the offense has made some noteworthy plays in the past few days of it.

The wide receivers in particular have flashed as of late with Jags’ offensive coordinator Jay Gruden discussing his excitement of working with D.J. Chark. However, during Saturday’s scrimmage, it was fifth-round rookie Collin Johnson who was the star of the show, making several impressive plays in what looks to be the Jags’ last big hurdle of training camp.

 

Johnson sat down with the media to talk about his journey thus far to the NFL and how happy he was to finally get the call from head coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell:

“I knew I would get an opportunity, whether it be in the first round, fifth round like I was, undrafted, I didn’t know at the time but I knew I would get an opportunity and I believed in it,” Johnson said Saturday. “Once that phone rang and Coach Marrone called me and Mr. Caldwell called me and gave me an opportunity, that’s literally all I could ask for and I was extremely thankful and each and every day I go out there with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove myself right.”

While at the University of Texas, Johnson was a go-to player for the Longhorns’ offense, especially during his junior season where he accumulated 69 catches for 985 yards and seven touchdowns. Afterward, he was poised to make an even bigger leap in 2019, however, hamstring injuries limited him to just seven games where he accumulated just 559 yards. Still, during the draft process, Johnson said he didn’t let where he was selected discourage him because he still ultimately got his shot.

“I didn’t let being drafted in the fifth round just kill my confidence, I just was thankful for an opportunity…all you can ask for is an opportunity and that’s what I got and now basically its up to me to take advantage of that opportunity,” Johnson added.

The massive 6-foot-6, 222-pounder who was taken 165th overall has done nothing but work hard and impress since that moment. As a result, he will undoubtedly make the final roster and should compliment the likes of D.J. Chark, Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook, and fellow rookie Laviska Shenault Jr. quite well.