If you watched any Penn State games this past season, you know that the Nittany Lions threw to the tight ends a ton. Sixteen of quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar’s[/autotag] touchdown passes were thrown to tight ends, the most in the nation during the 2023 season. [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag], the leader of the group, along with [autotag]Tyler Warren,[/autotag] caught seven apiece and were huge safety vales for their quarterback.
This week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, Johnson showed his smooth route, running over the middle and his elite hands. Johnson’s best trait, perhaps, is his size. At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, he has a tremendous catch radius and footwork like a wide receiver.
Just take a look at this route and catch from Michael Penix Jr. pass:
Penn State TE Theo Johnson is so smooth pic.twitter.com/MlGSKI8xzv
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) January 30, 2024
Johnson’s 2023 season in State College, where he caught seven receiving touchdowns, was tied for third in a single season among Penn State’s tight ends. The coaches and media also voted him an All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree.
Although not a complete vertical threat, Johnson’s hands and catching ability should lead to yards after catch at the next level. For someone who is that big, his route running and size can be a huge matchup mismatch for NFL teams looking for an over-the-middle threat.
Other than Georgia’s Brock Bowers and Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders, the rest of the 2024 tight-end class is up for grabs. With Johnson’s impressive week in Mobile, he could be looking at being the third or fourth tight end drafted. His biggest negative is his lack of blocking prowess and ability to hold up against superior NFL defensive linemen.
Before this week, many draft prognosticators viewed Johnson as a Day 3 pick, most likely somewhere in the fourth round. His performances have definitely improved his draft stock, and if that continues into the game on Saturday, Johnson could be looking at himself as a solid third-round selection.
