Giants Now: PFF names Theo Johnson ‘best player fit’ at TE from 2024 draft

PFF names Theo Johnson ‘best player fit’ at TE from 2024 draft

The Giants’ draft class continues to garner praise as we slowly inch closer towards the start of the season.

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema recently discussed the best player fits at every position from the 2024 NFL Draft, where Giants fourth-round pick Theo Johnson was the selection at tight end.

“Darren Waller still hasn’t decided if he is going to retire or come back for another year, but even with Waller, I am excited to see how the Giants utilize fourth-round rookie tight end Theo Johnson,” wrote Sikkema. “The 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end ranked in the 90th percentile in basically every category – 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump. He is a very impressive athlete for his size and position.

“Even if Waller is still in the picture, Johnson is a vertical and seam threat who could be a big addition to the Giants’ offense in terms of added explosiveness. Even if his workload is limited, his handful of catches could be very impactful because of that mismatch potential.”

Johnson saw his usage in the passing game increase each year at Penn State. As a redshirt freshman back in 2021, he caught 19 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown across 13 games. The following season, Johnson finished with 20 receptions for 328 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games.

The athletic tight end saved his best for this past season when he reeled in 34 passes for 341 yards and seven touchdowns while starting all 13 games for the Nittany Lions.

He was voted an All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree by the coaches and media.

While his on-field production has picked up the last two seasons, it was Johnson’s performance at the NFL Combine that really stood out. As mentioned in the PFF article, the 6-foot-6 tight end excelled at numerous drills in Indianapolis, including the 40-yard dash (4.57 seconds), vertical jump (39.5 inches), and broad jump (10 feet, 5 inches).

Johnson scored a 9.93 RAS (out of a possible 10.00), which ranked 9th out of 1,199 tight ends from 1987 to 2024.