Giants Country

Theo Johnson Shares How He Hopes to Help Giants Win

The Canadian-born Johnson believes he has what it takes to do this for the New York Giants.

Andrew Parsaud

Penn State tight end Theo Johnson
Penn State tight end Theo Johnson / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

The New York Giants reinforced their tight end room in the draft by selecting Penn State's Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Johnson, who stands 6-6 and 260 pounds, is a reliable pass catcher and moves well for his size. He also shows flashes of being a good blocker in the NFL and plays with a certain type of aggressiveness. 

Adding him to a room that includes Daniel Bellinger, Chris Manhertz, Jack Stoll, Lawrence Cager, and, if he doesn't retire, Darren Waller makes the position group that much stronger.

Johnson is looking forward to getting started as a Giant. He hopes to have an opportunity to pick Waller's brain, assuming Waller decides to return for a second season with the Giants.

"I've watched Darren Waller. I have a lot of respect for his game," Johnson told reporters after being drafted by the Giants. 

"You know, he's someone that has really established himself in the league, and I'm really looking forward to being in the same room as him and just hearing his wisdom from what he's been through, not only in his career and his life but I'm really looking forward to being his teammate."

Johnson, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, also tries to model his game after Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and current 49ers tight end George Kittle.

Like Gonzalez and Kittle, one of Johnson's biggest goals is to develop into an every-down player. 

 "I think I'm definitely capable of being a tight end that you can't take off the field with all the attributes that I have and I'm going to work for that," Johnson said. 

"I know I have work to do, and I'm going to do the work it's going to take to be a George Kittle and be a guy that you just don't want to take off the field because I can do every single thing you're asking your tight end to do."

Johnson, who hauled in 34 catches for 341 yards and led the Nittany Lions with seven touchdowns last season, is an athletic freak of nature. He stands 6-6 but moves more fluidly than one would expect, as though he were 6-2. His routes are solid enough, and he finds ways to get open. 

"I give defenses a real problem because I have the speed and also the sheer size and power," he said. "When you have both of those as a tight end, it makes it hard to defend because I can get up in your body and create separation, or I can use my speed or both. I think that will give many people challenges when it comes to defending me."

Johnson's production has come into question, but that's not all his fault. Penn State enjoyed an embarrassment of riches at the tight end position, leaving them with more "mouths to feed" in the passing game. 

The offense was also more run-heavy, limiting the production of receiving targets.

Johnson's game is still developing, particularly as a blocker, where he needs to become more consistent. But the good news is that he's flashed in that area, showing signs of improvement every week.

"I've only been blocking for four years, and I think just looking at my growth from freshman year to now, it's not even comparable to where I'm at," Johnson said. 

"The exciting thing for me is there's still so much more growth to be had there, and I think when it's all said and done, I'm going to be a very dominant blocker. I have room to improve, and I think that's somewhere that every tight end will tell you that they have room to prove in the blocking game, but I think that's an area where I can be very dominant with more work and attention to detail."

The Giants are counting on that.

Published
Andrew Parsaud

ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams.