Cowboys draft 2023: WR Quentin Johnston scouting report

We continue with our 2023 NFL Draft draft prospect review of players that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we look at wide receiver Quentin Johnston from the TCU Horned Frogs.

Previous prospect reviews:

DT Bryan Bresee
CB Kelee Ringo
LB Andre Carter II
CB Joey Porter Jr
WR Jalin Hyatt
OG O’Cyrus Torrence
RB Bijan Robinson
C John Michael Schmitz
RB Devon Achane
CB Devon Witherspoon
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
TE Darnell Washington
DE Will McDonald IV
CB Emmanuel Forbes
iOL Steve Avila

Quentin Johnston was given a four-star recruit rating (247Sports) and was ranked 71st nationally in 2020. After getting 11 offers he chose to stay in Texas and enrolled at TCU.

In 2020 during Johnston’s freshman year, he played 444 snaps on offense. He made 22 receptions for 487 yards and an impressive average of 22.1 yards per reception. He also scored two receiving and two rushing touchdowns on the year, and when targeted had a passer rating of 112.6.

In 2021, Johnston played 447 offensive snaps. In his sophomore year he had 33 receptions, 634 receiving yards and averaged 19.2 yards per reception. He scored six receiving touchdowns and had a 100.7 passer rating when targeted.

In 2022, Johnston played 523 snaps for the Horned Frogs offense. He had49 receptions, 1,069 receiving yards and averaged 17.8 yards per reception. He again scored six touchdowns on the year and when targeted had a passer rating of 105.9. In Week 6 against the Kansas Jayhawks, Johnston made 14 receptions for 206 yards and scored one touchdown.

Quentin Johnston
TCU Horned Frogs
Junior
4-star high school recruit
Height- 6’3”
Weight- 208
Hands- 9 5/8
Arm Length- 33 5/8

NFL Combine/Pro Day:

40-Yard Time- 4.46 (PD)
Vert- 40.5” (C)
Broad-134 (C)

Awards:

2022- First Team All-BIG12
2021- First Team All-BIG12

Scorecard:

Overall- 90.5/100
Catching- 83/100
Route Running- 87/100
YAC- 89/100
Blocking- 74/100
Speed- 85/100
Strength- 80/100
Acceleration- 98/100
Agility- 80/100

THE GOOD

• Elite athlete. Speed, acceleration and jumping ability tied with his length and size make him one of the most deadliest receivers in his class.
• His first step is as explosive as you will see. His acceleration is elite and combining that with his size makes him impossible to defend on free releases.
• An elite route runner. Uses his acceleration and finite gears to get open.
• Very good ball tracking downfield.
• Insane body control to make difficult catches behind him or to play above the rim with elite jumping skills.
• Great playmaker as a ball carrier. Will use his size to truck over defenders if he can’t get around them.
• Deceptive speed that he uses to get downfield in a hurry.
• Natural hands when catching the ball. Makes difficult catches look simple.

THE BAD

• Weirdly Johnston’s biggest issue is beating press man.
• His size and demeanor would dictate physicality at the line should be easy for him but all too often he gets jammed at the line and has difficultly breaking free.
• Limited route tree.
• Defenders set the pace on short routes against him.
• Needs more aggressiveness and assertiveness on blocking assignments.
• Contested catches aren’t as elite as expected given his athletic traits.

THE FIT

A lot of scouts and draft analysts have Quentin Johnston as their WR1 on their board this year and it’s easy to see why. His size and length combined with his speed and acceleration make his skills as a possession receiver on any NFL offense a much wanted commodity. He does have a limited route tree while playing at TCU, primarily running deep routes, but plenty of receivers of his type have made a long, quality career doing exactly what Johnston does the best. If he can add some short route skills to his repertoire and eliminate some of the concentration drop issues, he will be one of the top performers in the NFL.

First-round grade.
(All scout consensus ranking: 17th)

COWBOYS COMPARISON
Michael Gallup