TYLER JOHNSON: 2020 DYNASTY ROOKIE PROFILE
Position: WR
School: Minnesota
Class: Senior
Date of Birth: August 25, 1998
Height: 6-2 Weight: 206lbs
ATHLETIC TESTING
40-Time: N/A
Speed Score: N/A
Burst Score: N/A
Tyler Johnson Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile via PlayerProfiler.com
BIO
Tyler Johnson was recruited as an athlete and played QB for his high school team. Playing out of position limited Johnson’s offer list to four total, and the three-star ultimately chose to stay home and play for the Golden Gophers. Johnson also held a basketball scholarship offer at North Dakota State, which speaks to his incredible athletic ability. At Minnesota, Johnson helped the team rise to national prominence. As a sophomore, Johnson posted nearly a 20-yard average on his receptions and developed his game further as a junior and senior, eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving and 12 TDs in each season.
See Where Tyler Johnson Lands In Our 2020 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Johnson holds the Minnesota record for career receiving yards (3,305), career 100-yard receiving games (16), career receiving touchdowns (33), single-season receiving yards (1,318) single-season receptions (86), single-season receiving touchdowns (13), season-average receiving yards per game (101.4), single-season 100-yard games (7), and consecutive games with a receiving touchdown (7). All of these stats placed Johnson on the All-Big Ten First Team in 2018 and 2019, over NFL stars such as Terry McLaurin and second-round pick Paris Campbell.
Tyler Johnson did not participate in athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. It is speculated that he would have run in the 4.5-4.6 range in the 40-yard-dash and tested as an “ok” athlete in the agility drills.
COLLEGE STATS
Tyler Johnson College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference.com
POSITIVES
+213 reception, 3,305 (15.5) yards and 33 TDs in career
+Prime time player
+Dominant when team was in critical moments
+Highlight reel catches, all the time
+High points ball
+19.0 breakout age (90th-percentile)
+College YPR 17.3 (82nd-percentile)
+57.2% Dominator rating (98th-percentile)
KELVIN HARMON
wait
wrong year
TYLER JOHNSON https://t.co/a2viIUrAMD
— Big Cat (@ffbigcat) January 24, 2020
NEGATIVES
-Senior prospect
-No invite to the Senior Bowl
-Sat out athletic testing
-Rumored to be a low draft pick
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Best Comparable Player: DeAndre Hopkins
NFL Draft Projection: Day 3
BOTTOM LINE
Tyler Johnson is a curious case. He posted all of the production you want to see in college and broke out at age 19. His film is littered with highlight-reel grabs, and he makes plays in big spots to win games. Although he did not participate in athletic testing, he has shown more than adequate athleticism on film. He did not receive a Senior Bowl invite, but there is speculation that an invite was sent to Texas WR Collin Johnson in error. He declined his invitation to the East-West Shrine Game as well. There were rumors of off-field character issues early in his collegiate career, but all reports indicate that he is well beyond those times and has matured greatly under the tutelage of head coach P.J. Fleck.
He is a player who will give it everything he has to propel the team forward. Johnson consistently wins at the line of scrimmage, at the high point, and blocks well for a WR. Johnson is a much better player than Kelvin Harmon was, but I feel the comparison to Harmon’s draft-day slide is something we are going to see with Johnson. I hope I am wrong, but I will be drafting plenty of Johnson in the second round of my rookie drafts, hoping that his determination and skills get him on the field in the NFL.
PS: The following clips are why I think Tyler Johnson has some DeAndre Hopkins to his game.
Minnesota WR Tyler Johnson ~~
Probably the most underrated top WR prospect in the 2020 #NFLDraft heading into the year. Freaky ball skills.pic.twitter.com/kwYzD4OXzT
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) June 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/BoomItsFBALL/status/1212485095426330625?s=20
Resources: GopherSports.com, PlayerProfiler, NFL.com
