Diontae Johnson is...... maybe really really good?

[Fezzik]

Since they benched Moncrief, DJ has essentially matched Jujus production on fewer routes while facing a higher percentage of top qbs.

Scott Barrett (pff) posted this the twitter machine yesterday.

I am a fan of DIontae but the ask is currently Marquise Brown; i am considering. Brown may only be a deep threat.

The Steelers always seem to draft great WRs late. He passes the eye test for me. I’m just curious what everyone thinks about what this guy could be and his current value in picks.

[Jigga94]

I like Diontae but Im not giving up Brown for him. Saying Hollywood is only a deep threat, is selling him way too short.

This is a Diontae thread though and I like his outlook so far. It seems like he's got a brighter future ahead than Washington. I'd be nervous about where that offense is headed though. You'd be foolish to expect stats from the Ben/Bell/AB era...

[ChuckDiesel405]

Some in the local media here in Pittsburgh think he can eventually be the Steelers #1 WR. I tend to agree. I'd get him now while he's still relatively cheap. They will probably draft one next year at some point but they really like Johnson. I even heard a crazy rumor that Johnson was the #1 WR on their draft board for the entire draft. While that may seem far-fetched, the bottom line is they expect big things from him. Juju isn't exactly lighting it up. Some are questioning whether he can truly be a #1 WR here.

[mgscott]

I think he is a phenomenal WR. Runs good routes, good athleticism and instincts. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he ends up the best WR from this draft.

[Nanananananana]

Please let this happen

Let us pray that Mason Rudolph is not the Steelers post-Ben plan.

[Phaded]

This shouldn't be a surprise - he was one of PFF's highest rated WRs coming out of college and praised for his route running.
He was an excellent cheap pickup for anyone paying attention.

[mild]

I like Diontae but Im not giving up Brown for him. Saying Hollywood is only a deep threat, is selling him way too short.

Do NOT give up the #1 WR on the highest scoring offense in the NFL... he will only improve as he thiccs out and gets healthier.

[Sriracha]

Had a 1st round grade on him (in rookie drafts) all offseason because of his dynamic college profile; he had a really, really, good sophmore season -- the only season he had adequate QB play with Logan Woodside throwing to him --- was a special teams ace, left for the NFL early and watching his tape... there was just something special about his ability to create separation. He just reminded me so much of AB, and PIT obviously knew how to use a receiver like that.

IIRC PFF had him as a 3rd round NFL prospect, so his early success is still somewhat surprising. I expected him to overtake Moncrief and James Washington pretty easily but didn't expect him to catch up to Juju this quickly... time will tell if that's because of Diontae's talents or if it's because I overrated Juju's

[FantasyFreak]

He's good, but he's not better than Juju. I'd give a 2nd for him. I could see him being a decent number 2, but I have concerns about the QB situation in the Steel City.

[mild]

He's good, but he's not better than Juju. I'd give a 2nd for him. I could see him being a decent number 2, but I have concerns about the QB situation in the Steel City.

I'm with da Freak on this one. No certainty that Ben is the same after this injury at age 38, or even that he comes back at all. No path for Steelers to draft another highly touted QB.

And I think Juju is seeing every team's best corner right now. If Diontae ever did "catch up" to Juju, then we'd see what he looks like once defenses give him proper attention. Right now he's feasting on #2's and #3's.

[Sriracha]

He's good, but he's not better than Juju. I'd give a 2nd for him. I could see him being a decent number 2, but I have concerns about the QB situation in the Steel City.

I'm with da Freak on this one. No certainty that Ben is the same after this injury at age 38, or even that he comes back at all. No path for Steelers to draft another highly touted QB.

And I think Juju is seeing every team's best corner right now. If Diontae ever did "catch up" to Juju, then we'd see what he looks like once defenses give him proper attention. Right now he's feasting on #2's and #3's.

Didn't mean to imply that he's better than Juju right now; just that the target distribution has been closer than I expected between the two.

Also, have you checked who's been covering Diontae? He's obviously not the focal point of defenses, but he's predominantly been covered by #1's during some of his games, notably Richard Sherman, Xavien Howard

[Fezzik]

He's good, but he's not better than Juju. I'd give a 2nd for him. I could see him being a decent number 2, but I have concerns about the QB situation in the Steel City.

I'm with da Freak on this one. No certainty that Ben is the same after this injury at age 38, or even that he comes back at all. No path for Steelers to draft another highly touted QB.

And I think Juju is seeing every team's best corner right now. If Diontae ever did "catch up" to Juju, then we'd see what he looks like once defenses give him proper attention. Right now he's feasting on #2's and #3's.

Didn't mean to imply that he's better than Juju right now; just that the target distribution has been closer than I expected between the two.

Also, have you checked who's been covering Diontae? He's obviously not the focal point of defenses, but he's predominantly been covered by #1's during some of his games, notably Richard Sherman, Xavien Howard

I was surprised to see this too but it’s true.... my original post says “qbs” but obviously i meant cbs. He’s facing the top cb more than JUju. I think it might be because Juju runs out of the slot a lot and teams don’t move their outside guys inside but that’s just a guess

[Lumps]

This shouldn't be a surprise - he was one of PFF's highest rated WRs coming out of college and praised for his route running.
He was an excellent cheap pickup for anyone paying attention.

Precisely this. Got him at 3.6 in a 16 team here.

[fakespike13]

This shouldn't be a surprise - he was one of PFF's highest rated WRs coming out of college and praised for his route running.
He was an excellent cheap pickup for anyone paying attention.

Precisely this. Got him at 3.6 in a 16 team here.

2.16 here and had considered taking him at 1.16. Drafted him with Hollywood still on the board, who for some reason plummeted in our draft. I took JJAW at 1.16, so in hindsight, probably should have taken Diontae in the 1st, as I would have then taken Hollywood in the 2nd. I also took McLaurin at the end of round 3, so it was a pretty nice haul of WR nonetheless, but a draft of Diontae, Hollywood, McLaurin woulda been pretty epic.

I wont go so far as to say that Diontae is better than Juju, but if someone was watching the Steelers games this season with no knowledge of what happened in 2018, I'd be surprised if they didn't come to that conclusion. The dude just looks explosive and I think he could go bonkers in a high octane offense.

[Lumps]

This shouldn't be a surprise - he was one of PFF's highest rated WRs coming out of college and praised for his route running.
He was an excellent cheap pickup for anyone paying attention.

Precisely this. Got him at 3.6 in a 16 team here.

2.16 here and had considered taking him at 1.16. Drafted him with Hollywood still on the board, who for some reason plummeted in our draft. I took JJAW at 1.16, so in hindsight, probably should have taken Diontae in the 1st, as I would have then taken Hollywood in the 2nd. I also took McLaurin at the end of round 3, so it was a pretty nice haul of WR nonetheless, but a draft of Diontae, Hollywood, McLaurin woulda been pretty epic.

I wont go so far as to say that Diontae is better than Juju, but if someone was watching the Steelers games this season with no knowledge of what happened in 2018, I'd be surprised if they didn't come to that conclusion. The dude just looks explosive and I think he could go bonkers in a high octane offense.

I don't think he needs to be better than JuJu. He's very similar to AB, not the JuJu type. Very good route runner, separates with ease, not an exceptional athlete. I don't expect him to be AB, that's a tall order, but he's in that vein. He may help JuJu be better, like AB did, once Ben is back.

PFF on Diontae:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zdSguCiVF8