Rookie Spotlight: Quentin Johnston, TCU
Height: 6-2 1/2″
Weight: 208
Hands: 9 5/8″
Arm: 33 5/8″
40 yard dash: 4.39 sec (projected)
2023 Age: 22
NFL Comparison: Christian Watson, Devante Parker, Julio Jones
Breakout Age: 19 (sophomore)

Offensive Market Share Metrics (Final Season)
Receptions: 21%
Receiving Yards: 27%
Receiving TDs: 18%
Total Production Percentage: 22%

As a high school prospect: Class of 2020; 4-star

Pros
– Best size/speed combo in the draft
– Elite after the catch ability
– Playbreaking long speed
– Ability to absolutely take over football games
– Ability to accumulate massive volume
– Creates separation easily
– Top-tier body control
– Quick to turn upfield; economy of motion
– Massive catch radius
– Hard to bring down
– Solid route runner
– Team lead in receiving yards as a true freshman (18 years old)

Cons
– Too many body catches
– Nagging injuries (ankle in 2022; missed 3 games w/ undisclosed injury in 2021)
– Doesn’t use strength enough
– Was not totally dominant from a statistical market-share standpoint
– Struggled versus double-teams versus UGA in 2022 National Championship Game

Scouting Notes:
6-4. 215 pounds. Could possibly run a sub 4.4 forty. What else needs to be said? I could end Johnston’s eval there, but you’d miss out on some of the other details that make Johnston a candidate to be the first WR picked this April. The most dynamic playmaker (60/1,069/6) on a TCU team that just made its first National Championship appearance since the BCS was instituted, Johnston has a big, powerful body that he maneuvers with a smoothness that belies it. His first move after the catch is a thing to behold. It’s like he anticipates where the defender will attack him and he pivots in the opposite direction, turning on a dime and quickly accelerating upfield. Then he’s gone. Per PFF, he forced the 8th most missed tackles in FBS during the 2022 season. Once Johnston hits full speed, he’s almost impossible to catch, his long legs churning like pistons. He takes good angles too, should he need to adjust his direction on the way to the end-zone. An excellent ball tracker, Johnston can catch anything thrown in his general vicinity, though he lets balls into his body too often for my liking. And though he’s quick to use his powerful frame to bully defenders after the catch, he doesn’t implement his strength enough at the catch point or at the top of his routes. A physical enough corner can throw him off his route or at least keep him from getting separation. Fortunately for Johnston, he doesn’t even really need to separate to get free. He’s always “open”.

Fantasy Outlook:
Johnston has a history of nagging injuries that have kept him from reaching his full potential at TCU, and that could have a negative effect on his draft stock. That being said, it is not an injury history that includes major surgeries or horrible ailments. I’d be surprised if he isn’t the first WR taken in the draft, should he not tank his upcoming Combine appearance. There just isn’t another player with his physical traits available, and his upside is too astronomical to pass up on. There is a slight possibility his lack of consistent play strength caps his ceiling against the stifling corners of the NFL, but Johnston generally doesn’t need to be a bully to get separation. If he can better learn to impose his will on the field, good luck to anyone trying to cover him. There’s a strong argument to take Johnston with the second pick in 1QB dynasty rookie formats.