2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Quentin Johnston, WR, Texas Christian University

Quentin Johnston is regarded as the top receiver in the 2023 NFL draft by some analysts. We break down the skillset he brings to the table here.

Quentin Johnston is a prospect that has produced differing opinions on him by analysts. Some are very high on him because his physical tools and upside, while others think he isn’t quite polished yet to be WR1. I will dive into Johnston’s game and determine where I fall on him here.

The scouting report is also available in a video format here. I strongly encourage everyone to watch that video as it allows you to visualize everything I discuss in this scouting report.

Overview

Birthdate: 9/6/2001
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 208 pounds
High School: Temple HS (Temple, TX)
Recruit (247): 2020 class No. 71 natl No. 14 WR
2022 Stats: 60 Rec 1,067 Yards 6 TD
2022 PFF: 76.2
2021 Stats: 33 Rec 604 Yards 6 TD
2021 PFF: 76.0

Strengths

Physical Tools/Upside
- Big receiver at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds.
- Also moves very well for a big receiver.
- Doesn’t just have speed, but has some elusiveness considering his size.
- Explosiveness numbers at combine showed that he’s elite athletically: 40.5 vertical, 11-2 broad.
YAC Ability
- Wouldn’t expect to have a big receiver with YAC ability as a plus, but Johnston is very good with the ball in his hands.
- He’s not only tough to get to the ground, but he also has some wiggle and elusiveness with the ball in his hands.
- 45 missed tackles forced in his career at TCU.
- 19 MTF in 2022 and 16 MTF in 2020 – both tied for first amongst Big 12 WRs.
Ability to win coming back to ball
- Johnston is very effective on curl, hitch, and comeback type of routes.
- Does a very good job of stopping on a dime and creating enough separation to create a throwing window.
- Does an excellent job of maintaining a vertical threat against DBs, which gives him room to work with coming back to the ball.

Weaknesses

Limited contested catch production at TCU
- At 6-foot-3, 208 pounds it would be expected that Johnston would’ve been a contested catch monster at TCU but he really wasn’t.
- Over the course of his career he had 22 contested catches on 54 targets.
- Not necessarily bad, but at his size you would expect him to use it to his advantage more consistently than he did.
Disappears at times
- Overall Johnston was a productive receiver at TCU, but he wasn’t as consistently dominant as you might expect.
- Last season he didn’t eclipse 45 yards in any of the first four games and had just one catch for three yards in the national title game.
- This isn’t all on him necessarily as there were times where he was getting open and either not getting the ball or receiving bad throws.
- However you still expect more consistent dominance out of a round one receiver, especially in the national title game.

Final Evaluation

Pos Rank: WR2

Projection: First Round

Johnston is my second ranked WR in this class as his upside is very good, but he hasn’t shown enough to be considered an elite prospect in this class, although he’s still a first round player.