By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — Wide receiver Collin Johnson became the third Texas Longhorn, and the second UT receiver, to be chosen in the 2020 NFL Draft when he was snapped up in the fifth round, with the 165th overall selection.
Johnson admitted that he was taken later than he hoped, but is confident the Jaguars will end up being convinced they [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]were wise to choose him.
“I’m at my girlfriend’s house and I was sitting there with the family, and I started slipping a little later than I thought I would, but at the end of the day, I just kept telling myself all I need is an opportunity,” Johnson said. “When I got the call, it made everything worth it. I know I’m going make the best of my shot.”
Two of his Texas teammates, safety Brandon Jones and receiver Devin Duvernay, were selected Friday in the draft’s third round by the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.
“With Collin, you’re getting a guy that’s obviously a Longhorn Legacy, a captain and a guy that’s got tremendous length,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “He really worked hard in his time here at Texas to add strength and speed to that length, and did a phenomenal job. He can high-point the football as well as anyone I’ve been around and has got great body control and ball skills. He’s a really improved route-runner for a guy who is 6-foot-6. He can get in and out of his cuts, and is a ferocious blocker, too. He swallows people up with his size and length.”
Johnson becomes the 10th Texas receiver drafted since the draft shifted in 1994 to a seven-round format. He and Duvernay are the first pair of UT wideouts to get chosen in the same draft since Roy Williams and Sloan Thomas were selected in 2004. Johnson is the second Longhorn ever drafted by the Jaguars, joining former defensive lineman Tony Brackens, who was claimed by Jacksonville in the second round of the 1996 draft.
In Jacksonville, Johnson will be joining an offense that is undergoing something of a facelift since last season. A year ago, the Jaguars shelled out big money to bring in quarterback Nick Foles, who was replaced by Gardner Minshew and subsequently traded to the Chicago Bears. The receivers also have undergone a shakeup, as veteran Marquise Lee was waived, and Jacksonville drafted Colorado wideout Laviska Shenault, Jr., in the second round.
“I’ve never been to Florida in my life, but it looks like that’s going to be my new home for the next few years,” Johnson said. “I don’t know much right at the moment — I have to do my research on the franchise — but I know it will be a great place to play and they have some exciting players on offense like Gardner Minshew. More importantly, I know that’s the team that gave me an opportunity, so I’m excited.”
Johnson joins a deep group of receivers in Jacksonville, but he brings an element sorely lacking among the Jags’ wideouts: size. Listed at 6-6 and 222 pounds, Johnson towers over the other receivers, the tallest of whom are Jayson Stark and Charone Peake, each of whom stands 6-2 and neither of whom was on the roster a year ago. Johnson immediately becomes a viable option in red zone and short-yardage situations, but he’ll be more than that. Many experts have said he “plays faster” than he tests against a stopwatch, and with his height, leaping ability and body control, he gives Minshew an excellent outside target.
“This is a good compliment to (Jaguars’) second-round pick Laviska Shenault out of Colorado,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “(Johnson is) a much different type of player — a long, angular player, 6-5, 222 pounds, who is just an absolute high riser on the outside. He will go and take the ball off the top of the backboard, let alone the top of the rim. He’s a jump ball expert. You see it over and over again in the 50-50 catch situations … and he’s got deceptive speed. He may not time in the 4.4s or 4.3s, but he plays plenty fast, has tremendous body control, and again, this is a nice complimentary piece to Laviska Shenault to add to the group down there in Jacksonville. Gardner Minshew should be sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve got some pretty good guys to throw the football to here. Let me see if I can raise my game.’ No question about that.”
At Texas, Johnson started just seven games as a senior because of a hamstring injury, pulling in 38 receptions for 559 yards (14.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
He played in 45 games in his UT career, starting 29. He ends his career sixth in program history with 188 receptions, and fifth all-time with 2,624 receiving yards. His 15 receiving touchdowns are the ninth-highest total in program history..
He also made the watch lists during his career for the Biletnikoff Award, Wuerffel Trophy and Walter Camp Award watch-list candidate at various points in his career.
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