Dallas Cowboys: 10 Wide Receivers and Their Fit
Jon’Vea Johnson, Toledo
What’s Good: Route running, Athleticism, Production
What Ain’t Good: Consistency as a Route Runner, Size
Johnson was a combine snub but turned enough heads at his pro day where he competed alongside his teammates Diontae Johnson and Cody Thompson. There he was clocked running a sub-4.4 40 yard dash and posted some other insane numbers according to the Cowboys very own Hall of Famer Gil Brandt:
Two non-combine players at @ToledoFB's pro day yesterday emerged with draftable grades:
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) March 20, 2019
CB Ka'Dar Hollman (6-0, 196)
4.36 40
38.5 VJ
9-11 BJ
4.23 SS
6.91 3-cone
18 reps
RS Jon'Vea Johnson (5-11, 191)
4.39 40
35 VJ
10-8 BJ
4.17 SS
6.68 3-cone
12 reps
Athleticism aside, Johnson’s tape is very good. When a corner presses him at the line, he’s strong enough to get around them. When the corner gives him space to make a move, he will make it and blow right past them. When thrown the ball to, he doesn’t drop the pigskin. There’s a lot to like from Johnson. He continues the speedy receiver theme the Cowboys have created this draft process with their 30 national visits.
The issues concerning Johnson are relatively minor compared to all his positive traits. Generally, he is able to create separation but his tape mostly showed his reaction to man coverage. Rarely did I see him beat zone coverage. However, I can’t fault him for not playing against a certain coverage if the defense was willing to use such to stop the Toledo offense.
However, I do have a legitimate “concern” about his size. In Toledo, he played on the outside a lot and used his speed to beat corners on the outside. In the event the Cowboys selected him, he will be used primarily from the slot. Even if he has the speed to play outside, his body type projects better as a slot receiver.
He won’t have to deal with stronger corners on the outside and he can rely on his short area quickness and speed to get open in the slot. In addition, the Cowboys seem set at the X and Y receiver position with Cooper and Gallup for the foreseeable future. All Johnson would have to do is slide in.
Johnson will face the usual learning curve for wide receivers at the next level. He might need some extra time to develop his route running to beat zone coverage. However, when that happens, the team that drafted him will have an excellent receiver for years to come.