Tag: Theo Johnson

Broncos spoke with TE Theo Johnson at the NFL combine

The Broncos had an informal meeting with Penn State tight end Theo Johnson at the NFL combine. He’s projected to be a fourth-round pick.

The Denver Broncos had an informal meeting with Penn State’s Theo Johnson at the NFL combine in February, the tight end confirmed during his media availability in Indianapolis.

Johnson (6-6, 259 pounds) was among the National team tight ends who were coached by Broncos quality control coach Logan Kilgore at the Senior Bowl. After competing in Mobile, Johnson was invited to the combine. He ran a 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and 20-yard shuttle in 4.19 seconds at the combine.

Johnson spent four years at PSU, hauling in 77 receptions for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns in 44 games. He posted career highs in catches (34), receiving yards (341) and touchdowns (seven) last season.

Johnson is projected to be a fourth-round pick later this month. The Broncos currently hold pick No. 121 in the fourth round and Johnson might be a potential target at that spot.

Denver re-signed Adam Trautman during free agency and Greg Dulcich is healthy going into the offseason program, but the team does not have much tight end depth behind them.

The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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2024 NFL draft: Giants to meet with DB Andru Phillips, TE Theo Johnson

The New York Giants will reportedly meet with Kentucky DB Andru Phillips and Penn State TE Theo Johnson ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The 2024 NFL draft is just around the corner and the New York Giants will wrap up their top 30 visits over the next two weeks.

Their most publicized meetings have come with the draft’s top quarterbacks and wide receivers, but they haven’t been that limited in scope. General manager Joe Schoen has also sat down with several edge rushers and at least one defensive tackle.

In the coming days, the Giants will also reportedly meet with a few cornerbacks and a tight end.

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports reports that the Giants have an April meeting scheduled with Kentucky defensive back Andru Phillips.

The 23-year-old Phillips earned a relative athletic score (RAS) of 8.13 and is projected to go in the mid-rounds. NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein views him as a developmental talent.

Phillips’ tape features a high number of both completions and drops that should have been completions, but that could change in a different scheme and with additional experience. He’s still green, with just two years of real game experience, and often played too loose in Kentucky’s zone cover schemes. Phillips lacks the anticipation to contest catches at a high enough rate from zone but does have the athleticism to play more man coverage, with the tools to stay sticky on routes. He’s an ardent run supporter with excellent toughness but needs to finish tackles at a higher rate. Scheme fit might be critical, along with proving he can play from the slot, but his best football could be ahead of him.

In addition to Phillips, the Giants are also slated to meet with (or have already met with) Penn State tight end Theo Johnson, reports Sports Illustrated.

Johnson plans to work out in State College for a few weeks before the NFL Draft and make some targeted team visits. He said he’ll meet with the Seattle Seahawks, and the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens plan to schedule visits as well.

The 23-year-old Johnson earned a wildly impressive RAS score of 9.99 and is also projected to be taken in the mid-rounds. However, Zierlein is concerned with his several flaws.

Highly recruited out of high school, Johnson looks the part with an above-average frame and traits. While teams might want to place him in an elevated silo for consideration, they might not find the consistency or high number of flashes on tape that they were expecting. Johnson’s run blocking is below average for his size, and adopting a glass-eating mentality in conjunction with technique work could help him improve in that area. He’ll make contested catches and is adequate against man coverage, but he lacks dynamic qualities as a pass catcher. Traits will work in his favor, but there is work to be done to become anything more than an average backup.

The Giants have needs at both cornerback and tight end (assuming Darren Waller retires), so expect to see other prospect visits over the next two weeks.

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Seahawks to host Penn State TE Theo Johnson for top-30 visit

Tight end is one of several positions that should be on the Seahawks’ to-do list going into the 2024 NFL draft.

Tight end is one of several positions that should be on the Seahawks’ to-do list going into the 2024 NFL draft. So far the team has re-signed Noah Fant and added Pharaoh Brown, but they have also lost Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, making this a roster need, if not a major one.

One name to watch is Theo Johnson from Penn State, who has a top-30 visit with Seattle coming up.

Johnson (6-foot-6, 259 pounds) fits what the Seahawks need at the position right now, which is another pass-catching option. Over the last two seasons he totaled 54 catches, 669 yards and 11 touchdowns. Here’s the highlight reel.

At the Scouting Combine, Johnson put together a very impressive athletic profile. He posted a 4.57 second 40-yard dash, a 39.5″ vertical, a 10’5″ broad jump and a 4.19 second 20-yard shuttle time.

Johnson is projected to come off the board in the fourth round.

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Best photos of NFL draft tight end prospect Theo Johnson from Penn State

Here are some of the best photos of NFL draft hopeful Theo Johnson during his time with Penn State.

Penn State, perhaps under the radar for the past few years, has produced some talented NFL-ready tight ends. In fact, last season, the Nittany Lions led the nation in touchdowns caught by tight ends with 16. [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] had seven touchdown grabs and, after an impressive draft process, looks primed to be within the first three rounds of this month’s NFL draft.

Johnson earned All-Big Ten honorable mentions following the 2023 season and was named to the Mackey Award watchlist for the best tight end in the country. Johnson started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions last year and finished with 34 catches for 341 yards and seven touchdowns

Here is a look at one of Penn State’s NFL draft hopefuls during his college career in Happy Valley.

Browns 2024 NFL draft profile: Penn State tight end Theo Johnson

Johnson would be a fun selection for the Browns

After the departure of Harrison Bryant, could Penn State’s Theo Johnson be the ideal pick for the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 NFL draft?

There isn’t anything at the tight end position after David Njoku currently on the Browns roster. Though this class of tight ends isn’t super deep there are more than a few intriguing options for Andrew Berry to add to this roster.

One of the top options for me is Theo Johnson from Penn State, who lacks college production but has so much potential. Johnson showed that his lack of production wasn’t because of a lack of talent as he was had some of the best athletic testing at the position we have ever seen.

He scored a 9.99 on the relative athletic score scale with a 4.57 40-yard dash and 39.5-inch vertical. You see glimpses of his athleticism on tape, but if you can develop him as a route runner, you could have a guy with tight-end one potential.

Johnson is a good blocker, and with his size at 6-foot-6 with 33″ arms, that aspect of his game will translate at the next level. He is great off the line of scrimmage, getting into his routes and pairing it with his large catch radius. You have a reliable passing option, especially in the red zone and other short-yardage situations.

Last season, Johnson only had 34 receptions, but seven of them were for touchdowns. He can play as an in-line tight end, but he has the skill set to line up in the slot and out wide as well. A player of this much upside is worth a flyer in the draft’s middle rounds.

Four Penn State players among consensus top 100 NFL prospects

NFL draft experts agree that these four Penn State players are among the top 100 in the 2024 NFL draft.

As the 2024 NFL draft draws ever closer, the range that each prospect could go in becomes clearer. Teams are finalizing their boards, media members have gathered as much intel as they possibly can, and draft analysts put the finishing touches on how they view the class as a whole.

For Penn State’s bevy of potential draft picks, that means doing everything they can to stand out in what seems to be a very talented class this season. Four Nittany Lions have done just that, as NFL Mock Draft Database has tackle [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], edge rusher [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag], and edge rusher [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] in their consensus top 100 players.

The list is based on hundreds of mocks and big boards from many publications, so it’s a good way to see how each player is viewed by the media. Fashanu is ranked 14th overall, a drop off from his high ranking of 3rd. That drop is less about him and more about the rise of others, but he is no longer viewed as a potential top-five pick.

Robinson checks in at 27th, also a decline from his peak ranking of 16th. I imagine his elite speed and get-off made some analysts ignore some of his weaknesses early on, but he is still firmly in first-round consideration. Isaac has the largest gap between his current ranking and his peak, 78th and 54th respectively. Last but not least, Johnson has also seen a drop in ranking from his high point, sitting at 95th with a peak of 80th.

Overall, it seems the media has cooled on all of Penn State’s top prospects. It’s important to remember that most players end up lower than where they peaked by this point in the draft process, however. The consensus board also has never been about truly predicting how NFL teams view each player, but to simply sum up how the general public views them.

In the case of Penn State’s prospects, I think they will line up pretty closely to how the NFL will value them. Fashanu and Robinson are too talented to fall far from their projections. Isaac is a very sound, high-floor guy that teams can easily talk themselves into on day 2. Johnson is the athletic wild card that teams will convince themselves has untapped potential. I doubt any of them make it past the second day of the draft.

Penn State NFL draft prospect stock watch: Daequan Hardy

Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy may be hurt by a down NFL combine performance overall.

Penn State has gained a reputation in recent years for having some of the most explosive athletes to enter the draft each year. It started with Saquon Barkley back in 2018 and has been a theme ever since, with guys like Mike Gesecki, Micah Parsons, and Odafe Oweh just to name a few.

This year is no different, with defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] putting up historic numbers at the NFL combine. They were not the only Nittany Lions who showed off their athleticism, however.

Cornerback [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] was one of the unsung heroes of Penn State’s defense in 2023, cementing himself as a legit NFL prospect from the slot. His toughness and playmaking ability was evident on film, and it extended to special teams as well. He returned two punts in one game against UMASS, and he will have return value at the next level with his explosiveness.

 

His vertical was tied for first at the combine with Boston College corner Elijah Jones, which should help him overcome his smaller frame. His speed was no surprise watching him on film, both when exploding into ball carriers and as a return man. He is likely limited to being just a slot corner in the NFL, which will limit his upside in the eyes of NFL teams.

Even though more and more defenses have three corners on the field the majority of the time, slot corners are still undervalued. While the top outside corners are making north of $20 million a year, the top slot corners are just over $10 million. Many teams look to the draft for a cheap way to address slot defender, and Hardy fits that bill.

Right now, he is considered an undrafted player based on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus rankings. I can’t imagine his stock has fallen that far after an impressive combine. NFL teams will at least draft him for special teams value even if they aren’t sold on his defensive potential.

Stock: Down

Penn State NFL draft prospect stock watch: Theo Johnson

Penn State’s Theo Johnson has become one of the rising tight ends ahead of the NFL draft.

Every year, several NFL draft prospects show up to the NFL combine in Indianapolis and surprise everyone with historic performances. Sometimes, those players turn out to be hidden gems that just need the spotlight to reveal them. Other times, they turn out to be fool’s gold. Regardless, fans are always enamored with these so-called “combine warriors”, and one of them happens to be a former Nittany Lion.

Tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] had a successful career at Penn State, but his numbers don’t jump off the page by any means. 938 career yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons is roughly the same production Georgia’s Brock Bowers managed in his freshman season alone, for example. They had entirely different roles of course, but the point remains that Johnson wasn’t hyper-productive in Happy Valley.

Despite the relatively low raw stats, Johnson did show off the skills that make him an intriguing prospect. His straight-line speed is noticeable on tape, and his huge frame (6’6″, 259lbs) makes him a threat in the redzone. His size also gives him upside as a blocker if he can improve his technique.

Even with solid tape, Johnson was considered a day-3 prospect as the draft process started. His Senior Bowl performance helped get his projection closer to the top of day 3, but things changed at the NFL combine.

 

Just look at those numbers! Johnson truly showed out in a way very few do at the combine, and it clearly had an impact on his perception. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, his average ranking jumped nearly 30 spots the week following the combine. Analysts clearly gave him a boost for his elite workout, and in a relatively weak tight end class, it makes sense to boost up an elite athlete.

The problem is that it doesn’t change the flaws that Johnson has on tape. He is explosive when he can run straight, but he is very stiff in his routes and struggles to change direction effectively. It’s hard to expect such a tall and well-built player to move fluidly, but it has to be considered when determining his value to an NFL offense.

Do I think he could be a starting tight end at the next level? Maybe, but he doesn’t fit the profile of a modern receiving tight end. He is a better fit as a #2 tight end who can be a weapon in the redzone and on vertical routes. Is that worth a high pick? NFL teams will have to determine that before the draft kicks off in late April.

Stock: Up

Full 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: First projections after NFL Scouting Combine

The first full seven-round 2024 NFL mock draft for the Patriots after the NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, and many people are excited for the NFL offseason with free agency and the 2024 NFL draft right around the corner.

In New England, fans are itching to see the offensive talent the new regime will target. These are exciting times, but it’s also worth prefacing: The NFL combine is not a way to evaluate talent, but it is a way to finalize your draft board.

My 2024 draft kit is coming soon, and I utilized specific combine drills to finalize some matchups where the margins are smaller.

I think 10-yard split, 3-cone and other drills are more important than the 40-yard dash, vertical, long jump and bench press. Those specific drills will showcase what actually happens in a game, as opposed to the latter which happens in rare situations.

In the NFL, short area quickness, explosiveness and change of direction are valuable for evaluations. As I finalize my kit, It’s time we head into the true mock draft realm.

This time of the year is typically when I switch my mock drafts to what I think the Patriots will do, as opposed to what I want them to do. However, without any knowledge of what this regime will be doing in their first year, I am making these selections based on reports out there, who the team has been interviewing and who is on the roster currently.

Without further ado, let’s get right into the latest seven-round mock draft.

Biggest winners from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine

Biggest winners from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon after a long week in Indianapolis

Four days of on-field workouts in Indianapolis concluded on Sunday with the offensive linemen taking the stage at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Over 300 prospects participated in the interviews, medical examinations, on-field testing and more during the week. Scores of those players performed very well and augmented their appeal to the NFL decision-makers. But a few separated themselves at the top of the most impressive combine performers.

Here are the biggest winners from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.