Texas wide receiver Collin Johnson was selected with the 165th pick in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Johnson was the last of three members of the Texas Football team that were drafted, following defensive back Brandon Jones (3rd Round, Miami Dolphins) and wide receiver Devin Duvernay (3rd Round, Baltimore Ravens).
Johnson struggled with injury last season, catching 38 passes for 559 yards and three touchdowns. He started 29 games and played in 45 in his time with the Longhorns and finished his collegiate career with 188 receptions for 2,624 yards and 15 touchdowns. His receiving yards make him 5th all-time in reception yards at Texas.
Johnson hasn’t spent time in Florida, but is confident he will enjoy his time in the Sunshine State.
“… It looks like that’s going to be my new home for the next few years. 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.”
Texas head Coach Tom Herman had this to say about Johnson’s abilities on and off the field.
“With Collin, you’re getting a guy that’s obviously a Longhorn Legacy, a captain and a guy that’s got tremendous length. 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.”
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick on Collin Johnson
“This is a good compliment to (Jaguars’) second-round pick Laviska Shenault out of Colorado, (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. I was down in San Antonio and watched Texas play against Utah in the Alamo Bowl, and on the first play of the game they threw him a jump ball in the middle of the field, and he went up and got it. 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. (Quarterback) 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.”
