Tag: Tez Johnson

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: WR Tez Johnson, Oregon

Can Johnson overcome a disappointing combine performance?

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson enters the 2025 NFL Draft after a respectable collegiate career with statistical contributions that would make most any receiver a Day 2 consideration, but his puny size and alarming lack of breakaway speed will make him a tough sell before the final stanza of the draft.

Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 154 pounds
40 time: 4.51 seconds

Johnson played football for Pinson Valley High School in Alabama, where he was a teammate of Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, whose father coached the program. The Nix family would take in Johnson as one of their own after tragedy struck his biological family, which creates an interesting “what if” scenario that we’ll touch on later.

A three-year stint at Troy University came to end when Johnson transferred to Oregon in 2023 to reunite with Nix to post a breakout year for the pint-sized receiver that saw him set the school’s single-season receptions mark (86).

Johnson, who was named to the All-Sun Belt roster (third team) in ’21, managed to finish his NCAA career with Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and an MVP nod for his Big Ten Championship performance (11-181-1) as a redshirt senior.

Table: WR Tez Johnson, Oregon (2020-24)

Season Team Class G Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Y/R TD Att Yds TD
2020 Troy Fr 11 18 211 11.7 0 1 5 0
2021 Troy rFr 12 67 735 11 4 2 35 1
2022* Troy rSo 13 56 863 15.4 4 5 11 0
2023* Oregon rJo 14 86 1,182 13.7 10 0 0 0
2024 Oregon rSr 12 83 898 10.8 10 1 -1 0
Career 62 310 3,889 12.5 28 9 50 1

*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)

Pros

  • Fits multiple pro-style systems and schemes — transitioned nicely from Troy to Oregon
  • Agile, shifty movement traits to create space in traffic
  • Above-average contact balance in spite of his size
  • Demonstrates understanding of how to exploit soft spots in zone coverage
  • Plenty of film to watch of him with 61 or more touches in four straight seasons — productive with 169 catches over the last two years combined and 21 total touchdowns in the past 26 contests
  • Experienced on special teams with 33 punt returns in his past two seasons, including 13 returns, 155 yards (11.9) and a TD in 2024
  • Versatility for a bevy of manufactured touches in the running and short-area passing games

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Cons

  • Extremely slight build — it’s exceedingly rare for a player south of 170 pounds to carve out a meaningful NFL career, let alone at Johnson’s meager 154
  • Lacks vertical speed and timed poorly at the combine — if you’re a small player, you best be a fast one
  • Rarely breaks big plays when schemed into short-area passing
  • Despite elite explosion metrics at the combine, it’s doesn’t jump off the screen
  • Lacks functional strength to beat press coverage, gets redirected easily, and isn’t a capable blocker
  • Hands aren’t terrible, but he more body catches than ideal

Fantasy football outlook

After his disastrous 40-yard dash performance at the combine, he’ll need to blaze at the March 18 pro day before anyone should be confident that he is even drafted. In all likelihood, though, one team will gamble on the production and feel clever coaching can get something worthwhile out of him to justify a late-round pick.

One intriguing landing spot is Denver, given the connection to Nix and Sean Payton’s love for incorporating gimmick plays.

From a fantasy perspective, it’s awfully difficult to envision Johnson developing into a weekly contributor, especially in Year 1. For now, consider him a middling fantasy curiosity, at best.

7 standouts from Day 3 of 2025 Senior Bowl practices

In a spirited close to Senior Bowl practices, defensive players won the day.

The 2025 Senior Bowl practices are in the books.

While the annual college all-star game is still on the way, many of the NFL’s scouts, coaches, and decision makers will now head out of town as the practices are the part of the week that looms largest.

Here are seven players who stood out most in the last practice sessions of the week:

DL Landon Jackson (Arkansas)

Jackson certainly looks the part at a well-built 6’6, 273 pounds. But after an up-and-down first couple of days, the Razorbacks lineman started wreaking havoc Thursday.

In addition to some clear wins in one-on-ones, Jackson was a force in run defense during team drills.

DL Darius Alexander (Toledo)

Alexander didn’t arrive to Mobile as a well-known name, but the Toledo lineman opened some eyes. The 6’4, 304-pounder was remarkably quick and explosive for a player his size and found himself in the backfield often Thursday.

WR Tez Johnson (Oregon)

Johnson is the only player to appear on these standouts lists twice, but it’s almost impossible to understate how dominant the 5’9 receiver was on the practice field. Johnson was easily the toughest cover for defensive backs all week and found separation with ease, using his sharp route-running and lightning quick feet to leave defenders in the dust.

S Sebastian Castro (Iowa)

The Senior Bowl isn’t really a place where safeties typically shine. One-on-one coverage assignments are never easy for the position, as wide receivers and running backs are a bit too quick and tight ends are a bit too large to give safeties a chance to do well consistently.

Castro made it work, though. In team drills, he was always around the ball and in the right spot. In one-on-ones, Castro did pretty well against the talented group of National Team tight ends.

LB Shemar James (Florida)

Linebacker is another spot where it’s difficult to stand out in an all-star game, but James was probably the fastest at the position in Mobile and flew all over the field Thursday. He was especially impressive in coverage drills, where he locked down some elusive running backs in space.

EDGE Danny Striggow (Minnesota)

The Golden Gophers pass rusher played at the Hula Bowl and told ESPN that he call at 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday night that he had an opportunity to be added to the Senior Bowl roster. Striggow made the most of the abrupt opportunity, hopping on a pair of flights and arriving just in time to make some impressive plays in the last practice of the week.

EDGE Princely Umanmielen

For a player who’s 6’4, 264 pounds, Umanmielen showed remarkable bend and balance Thursday. The Ole Miss pass rusher, who began at Florida, recorded 34.5 tackles for loss in his last three collegiate seasons. In Mobile, he showed he has multiple moves and counters, and the body control to pull off a little bit of everything.

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Tutu to Tez: Could Rams replace Atwell with another undersized WR in 2025 draft?

After Tutu Atwell didn’t pan out, would the Rams consider taking a shot on another undersized WR in Oregon’s Tez Johnson?

The Los Angeles Rams blindsided a lot of people in the 2021 draft when they selected Tutu Atwell at No. 57 overall in the second round. Needing offensive line help, the Rams passed on Creed Humphrey and instead took the undersized receiver out of Louisville in what felt like a luxury pick by Les Snead and Sean McVay.

Though Atwell got progressively better each year, things just didn’t work out for him in Los Angeles and now that he’s set to be a free agent in March, it’s reasonable to think he’s played his last down with the Rams.

Assuming Atwell leaves, might the Rams consider replacing him with a similarly undersized wideout in the 2025 draft?

Oregon’s Tez Johnson weighed in at 5-foot-9 and 156 pounds at the Senior Bowl this week, the exact same height and only 1 pound heavier than Atwell was at the 2021 NFL combine. There’s no question he’s small, but that didn’t scare McVay away from Atwell four years ago and it may not deter him from taking a shot on Johnson this spring.

While speed was Atwell’s biggest asset, Johnson is a terrific route runner who creates separation with ease at the top of his routes. That’s been on full display in Mobile where he’s been borderline unguardable for opposing Senior Bowl cornerbacks.

Wide receivers certainly have the advantage in these one-on-one drills but the amount of separation Johnson creates – and the ease in which he does so – is impressive.

It’s why he’s such a promising prospect despite legitimate concerns about his size, especially after Atwell failed to amount to much with the Rams in the last four years.

Johnson, who’s viewed as a Day 2 prospect right now, could see his stock continue to rise if he keeps shining during the pre-draft process. He should run well in the 40-yard dash and his agility numbers are likely to be among the best at his position.

When talking about his game and who he compares to, he named three outstanding receivers who are currently in the NFL – including a Rams star. He mentioned Tank Dell, Cooper Kupp and Tyler Lockett as wideouts he models his game after, even saying that Kupp helped him this offseason.

“Cooper Kupp, he helped me this offseason as far as decision-making in option routes and stuff like that, and Tank Dell because of the route-running,” he said.

It’d be hard to sell the fanbase on another 5-9, 155-pound receiver early in the draft, but Johnson is a promising prospect who appears better than Atwell when it comes to releases at the line of scrimmage and route running.

The Rams need wide receiver help with Atwell and Demarcus Robinson being free agents, as well as Kupp’s future being uncertain, so Johnson could be a logical target for Los Angeles on Day 2. Taking a player that small comes with risk but don’t put it past McVay to take the dynamic receiver out of Oregon.

3 receivers for Saints to scout at the 2025 Senior Bowl practices

The New Orleans Saints need more depth at wide receiver, and the 2025 NFL draft has answers. They should scout these prospects at the Senior Bowl:

The New Orleans Saints are known to pay close attention to the Reese’s Senior Bowl each year and with so many draft needs in 2025, this could be a crucial event for them.

One spot on the roster that was proven to need more talent was wide receiver. Luckily, there are a handful of exciting wide outs heading to Mobile for the event. In particular, some fun names to keep an eye out for include Elic Ayomanor, Jack Bech and Da’Quan Felton.

Ayomanor is a big-bodied receiver that has always had promise of talent, but has been inconsistent throughout his career. Still, he has had plenty of big plays both with contested catches and with his legs. It would make sense for a team to fall in love with his potential enough for him to go late Day 2, early Day 3.

Bech will be a familiar name for a lot of Saints fans, given that he started his career with the LSU Tigers before transferring to the TCU Horned Frogs. Like Ayomanor, though, he was mostly about potential until he broke out during his final collegiate season. As a senior, Bech hauled in 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s a bit of an all-around weapon that could line up wherever on the field.

Felton was a small school prospect that gained some national acclaim after transferring to the Virginia Tech Hokies. He is the perfect player for an event like this where he will get a chance to show off for scouts. He is athletic freak at 6-foot-5 and could entice an NFL team to draft him as a project player. That kind of size is something that New Orleans could use at wideout.

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Chiefs scouting report: Oregon Ducks WR Tez Johnson

The Kansas City #Chiefs should consider selecting Oregon #Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Oregon Ducks lost to Ohio State in the second round of the College Football Playoff, clearing the way for their prospects to prepare for the pre-draft process. The Kansas City Chiefs could target several Ducks in the 2025 NFL draft.

Oregon wideout Tez Johnson is a sudden and twitchy receiver with experience playing in the slot and out wide. He projects inside at the NFL level because of his 5’10”, 165 lb. frame. Johnson is an experienced punt returner who took one play 85 yards to the house against Boise State earlier this year.

Johnson uses his speed to stack cornerbacks out of press or overtake off-man coverage. Oregon schemes him touches on short routes or screens, but he stretches the field too. Johnson explodes off the line and uses a combination of head and shoulder fakes, quick footwork and sharp mid-route cuts to separate from defenders.

Defensive backs struggle to mirror Johnson at the top of the route’s stem because of his elite agility and footwork. He manipulates leverage to move defenders and create space to break into. Defenders who rely on physicality find some success sticking with Johnson and forcibly re-routing him.

Johnson is a monster after the catch. He doesn’t break tackles with power, but defenders struggle to get their hands on him. Johnson’s elite acceleration erases pursuit angles and helps him finish big plays in the end zone. Defenders can’t match his twitch and agility in the open field.

The Chiefs might avoid drafting Johnson because Xavier Worthy already fills a similar role on their offense. However, Johnson’s superior twitch and special teams ability give him a path to the field if he lands in Kansas City.

Tez Johnson extends thank you to fans as he declares for the NFL Draft

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson extends a thank to fans, family, coaches, and teammates as he declares for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Few things are permanent in college athletics. Every program has highs and lows, and each player only gets four full seasons of play. Talented new players are always apparating from high school to replace the seemingly irreplaceable graduating seniors. But some players are truly irreplaceable.

One of those guys is Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson. In two seasons at Oregon, Johnson went from an unknown Group of Five receiver to one of the top players in college football. After three years at Troy and two at Oregon, Johnson is out of college eligibility, and on Sunday he thanked family, fans, coaches, and more as he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdXMP0zhvp/?igsh=OTZybm9ldGZjY3U3&img_index=1

Johnson transferred to Oregon in 2023, after three seasons with the Troy Trojans, and he played two fantastic seasons as a Duck. Johnson has said Oregon was always dream school, and that he became a massive Ducks fan after he was gifted a Oregon hoodie as kid.

Included in Johnson’s Instagram post are heartfelt thank yous to both of his mothers (his biological mother Shamika Posey and his adoptive mother Krista Nix) and “The Coach he now calls Dad,” Patrick Nix.

Johnson made the most of his time at his dream school. He finished his Oregon career with 169 catches, 2080 receiving yards, 20 TDs, and one punt return touchdown. Despite only playing two seasons, Johnson’s 169 is the fourth-most at Oregon all-time. He finished only nine catches behind Jeff Maehl, and if he didn’t miss several games due to injury this season, Johnson would likely hold the record.

As one of college football’s top receivers and the brother of Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix, Johnson will surely draw interest from the NFL, although some scouts have expressed doubts due to his size. Although 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds is small for an NFL receiver, Johnson’s reliable hands and dynamic movement should make him successful at any level.

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Tez Johnson predicts Dante Moore will be Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson came out and declared that QB Dante Moore will be a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025.

It’s a quote that got lost in the middle of what was a hectic and crazy media day ahead of the Rose Bowl earlier this week, but with the day’s events in Eugene, Oregon Duck fans are buzzing after a quote from wide receiver Tez Johnson has surfaced.

The quote was about sophomore quarterback Dante Moore, who has been waiting in the wings behind Dillon Gabriel after transferring in from the UCLA Bruins this past offseason.

Moore, who is expected by many to take over as the Ducks’ QB1 in 2025 after a competition with Austin Novosad, is getting quite the hype from his teammates.

“He’ll be a Heisman finalist next year,” Johnson said of Moore at the Rose Bowl media day. “100 percent. It’s something you haven’t seen yet. That boy can throw a ball like no other. I’ve never seen nothing like it.”

For Oregon fans who are still mourning the loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and frustrated by the news that 5-star QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was transferring on Friday morning, this is music to your ears.

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I have confirmed with a source close to the program that part of the reasoning for Sagapolutele to transfer was because he had aspirations of starting as a true freshman in Eugene. After joining the team for bowl practices, though, He came to a realization that this would be tough with Moore already proving early on that he is ready to lead the team in 2025.

According to Johnson, Moore has the tools already to be a dynamic player, and his performance in practices with the backup players leaves little to no fall-off from Dillon Gabriel and the starters.

“He is so ready. He is so ready to play,” Johnson continued. “You can just tell. We can put the 2’s in at practice, and they look just like the 1’s.”

While some people may write this off as a player hyping up one of his teammates, it is also important to consider that Johnson has caught passes from a pair of Heisman finalists in the past two years, so he knows what it looks like to see them play.

The past couple of days might have been tough for Duck fans, but going into 2025, there should be hope and expectations building quickly. According to one of the best Ducks we have seen in recent memory, a legend is on the way.

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Multiple Oregon Ducks stick around, have message for Ohio State going forward

The Oregon Ducks might have lost by 20 on Wednesday in the Rose Bowl, but star WR Tez Johnson told Will Howard to go ‘win it all.’

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. To be quite frank, it wasn’t even close for most of the game as the Buckeyes came out on fire and ended the first quarter and a half up 31-0.

While the Ducks did respond in the second half and even scored a gutsy touchdown to end out the second quarter and provide some momentum into halftime, it was far from enough on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes ended up winning the game 41-21.

Let’s just say there didn’t seem to be much malice between the two teams following the battle. Ducks star WR Tez Johnson told the Buckeyes QB Will Howard to “win it all for your team” after the game.

There were several Ducks that ended up hanging around and congratulated the Buckeyes. It seemed like an acknowledgment of just how good of a game Ohio State played in the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes, who lost by one earlier on in the season to Oregon, played a near-flawless game and will now get to take on the Texas Longhorns in just over a week in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Tez Johnson sets career high to win Ducks Wire Player of the Game vs. Penn State

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson is the Ducks Wire Player of the Game in the Big Ten Chamionship

After joining the Big Ten a little more than four months ago, the Oregon Ducks are Big Ten Champions. Their undefeated season continued on Saturday with a 45-37 win over the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions — one of the best teams in the Big Ten over the last 15 years.

For all four quarters, the game was an offensive battle, and for the Ducks, quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Tez Johnson were instrumental in Oregon’s win. Johnson’s 11 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown make him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game. His 181 yards are a career-high

“It was just like a normal Tuesday practice for me,” Johnson said to CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell on the field after the game.

Of his 11 catches, Johnson’s most crucial came off of a skinny post route midway through the third quarter. After escaping the pocket, Dillon Gabriel threw to a wide-open Tez Johnson, who took the ball 48 yards for a score. After a bad end to the second half, that TD swung all of the momentum back towards Oregon, propelling them to a Big Ten Championship.

That play was spectacular, but all 10 of Johnson’s catches were impactful. With sure hands and lighting quick feet, Johnson is nearly impossible to stop once he has the ball.

Johnson missed almost three full games at the end of Oregon’s season with a shoulder injury, ending what could’ve been a Biletnikoff Award-winning season. In 10 regular season games plus the Big Ten Championship, Johnson averaged 7 catches, 78.7 yards, and 0.91 TDs per game.

The Oregon Ducks will now have several weeks to prepare for their next matchup — their first College Football Playoff game in 10 years. The first round of the playoff will take place on Dec. 20th and 21st, and the second round — when Oregon will play their first game — will take place over New Year’s.

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Oregon Ducks receiver Tez Johnson announces return on social media

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson announced on his Instagram story that he would be returning from his injury during Oregon’s bye week.

The Oregon Ducks have been without one of their best players in wide receiver Tez Johnson since early November due to injury, but the star pass-catcher took to social media on Tuesday morning to apparently announce his return.

“He’sssssssssss!! Backkkkkkkkkkkk!!” Johnson wrote over a picture on his Instagram story. 

Johnson has not played since November 2 during the game vs. the Michigan Wolverines at The Big House in Ann Arbor. On the second play of the game, he went down after catching a pass and landed hard on his right shoulder, causing him to miss the rest of the game while sporting a sling.

There was speculation that it was either a collarbone or shoulder injury, with early fears being that it could cause him to miss the remainder of the season. However, head coach Dan Lanning informed the media that Johnson was expected to return at some point.

Ducks Wire initially reported that Johnson was expected back by the Conference Championship Game in early December at the earliest. However, the message from Johnson comes during Oregon’s bye week, which means he may be able to get back on the field as early as Week 14 against the Washington Huskies. 

That would be a massive development for the Ducks, who have looked a touch off on offense without No. 15 on the field.

We will talk to Lanning on Wednesday during his only media availability of the bye week, so we will find out more details then.

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