NFL Draft Profile: C.J. Johnson, Wide Receiver, East Carolina Pirates
C.J. Johnson
East Carolina Pirates
#5
Pos: WR
Ht: 6015
Wt: 224
Hand: 1028
Arm: 3200
Wing: 7848
40: 4.78
DOB: 11/04/__
Hometown: Greenville, NC
High School: D.H. Conley
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Johnson has a powerful build and is physical at the catch point, but he lacks the agility and speed to create consistent separation and YAC against NFL defenses.
Evaluation:
Johnson received official measurements at the NFLPA Bowl. He’s 6011 and 225 lbs. with large hands (1018) and good arm length (3218). After spending most of his snaps from 2019-2021 lined up as an outside receiver, Johnson kicked into the slot for his final collegiate season. He has enough special teams experience to offer upside in that area as a rookie. Johnson displays above-average ball tracking skills and an impressive vertical leap that dramatically increases his catch radius. His hands are reliable and rarely drop the ball. Johnson uses his size to battle through contact early in the route and at the catch point. The All-Conference wide receiver’s strong frame helps him break tackles for yards after the catch. Johnson has a solid understanding of the holes in zone and moves with the quarterback to create a target when plays break down. He improved his foot quickness at the top of his routes throughout his college career. Johnson has the frame to be a successful blocker, but his effort and framing are subpar in this area. His four fumbles in the past three seasons and six penalties in the past two years are concerning. There’s room for Johnson to improve his success rate in contested catch situations. The North Carolina native isn’t an elusive, sudden, or twitchy athlete, and he lacks burst off the line of scrimmage. Johnson is gradual getting into his routes and doesn’t showcase high-end speed. He’s mostly a one-speed route runner who doesn’t generate separation vertically. His routes are more rounded than sharp, and his cuts at the tops of route stems are slower than ideal. Johnson’s release package is underdeveloped. Unfortunately, East Carolina didn’t use him in exotic roles and missed out on the opportunity to give him snaps in the backfield. There’s some untapped potential in Johnson as a skill position chess piece.
Grade:
UDFA
Background:
C.J. Johnson finished his collegiate career at East Carolina. At ECU this season, Johnson played in 13 games recording 67 catches for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns. Starting his 10th-straight contest versus South Florida, he corralled a career-high four touchdown receptions, finishing the contest with 197 yards on seven catches (28.1 yards per catch). He tied the school and American Athletic Conference single-game record for touchdown receptions, and notched the 10th highest single-game receiving yard performance in program history. He was selected to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team. Before this season, he has started 25 of 33 games for the Pirates. Before the 2022 season, he ranked seventh on ECU’s all-time receiving yards charts (1,833), and has caught 108 career passes with 11 touchdowns.
