Is it Sacrilegious to Compare Quentin Johnston to Randy Moss?

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Ken Becks reveals why he believes TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston should go in the first-round, and asks the question if he has a similar skill set as NFL receiving great Randy Moss.

#1 Quentin Johnston

POSITION: Wide Receiver (WR)
SCHOOL: TCU
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 215

Evaluated Games (click to view games watched to form this evaluation):

Oklahoma ’22

Kansas ’22

Oklahoma State ’22

Kansas State ’22

Texas ’22

Strengths

EXPLOSIVE is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Johnston.

He’s a receiver who possesses ideal length and athleticism and a lean athletic frame. Add to the package his rarified speed, and that makes him a literal nightmare for ANY defense!

Johnston is so explosive and dangerous whenever covered in one-on-one situations, he frequently out-athletes most defenders he comes across.

He runs crisp routes with little to no wasted motion with instant explosion out of his cuts, which allows him to quickly get on top of defenders. This applies immediate “decision-making” pressure on them, and it frequently results in him gaining and maintaining separation versus defenders.

He is surprisingly effective in stop-and-go catches, and maneuvering in tight spaces for a receiver of his height. Normally receivers of his size can’t convert from stop-and-go to an instant explosion like he does. This is due to his quick feet, and fluid hips, which enables him to avoid defenders in tight areas.

Johnston is an excellent traffic catcher with good hand/eye coordination. He’s consistently catching passes away from his body as a true hands catcher. He possesses the ability to bring in passes, while simultaneously transitioning upfield.

On passes thrown his direction downfield, outside the normal catch radius, he maintains good ball location, eye/ hand coordination, and good acrobatic body adjustment bringing in passes. On balls he needs to high point, his long arms assist him well. Along with the competitive nature, he battles defenders for the ball.

There is no hesitation shown going after passes despite the presence of possible contact with defenders. After contact, he maintains good focus not shying away from it.

When he breaks into the open after the catch, it’s his mentality to take it to the house!

Johnston is such a long-stride glider, who quickly eats up yardage once he has the ball in his hands. When necessary, he can quickly display superior ankle flexion, which allows him to quickly change direction on a dime away from defenders. He is very effective at making the first defender miss.

Throughout the game, he plays with physicality, regularly utilizing a strong stiff arm versus defenders. This throws them off balance, and allows him to gain additional yardage after contact. He has a healthy obsession with maximizing his yardage any time he touches the rock! Additionally, this stiff arm allows him to avoid unnecessary contact, which is an innate trait of him being able to avoid needless contact from defenders.

He can also deliver an effective spin move, which allows him to frequently slip away from defenders.

Johnston is a better-than-average blocker, who shows the willingness and competitive nature to sustain blocks when he can.

Weaknesses

The plus is also a minus with his thin athletic frame. He has a thin lower body in the legs, which could become a durability concern. Additional weight could take his game to another level.

In film evaluation, he additionally displayed a limited route tree.

There were few times he had to deal with bump and run coverage off the line of scrimmage. I’m not sure how he will combat that when it’s applied in the future.

2023 NFL Draft Prospect Value

First-Round (Top 15)

Scouting Report Summary

Johnston possesses almost everything you could look for in a WR prospect in this upcoming draft.

He is a true No. 1 WR at the NFL level. It will be a joy to watch his maturation process on the team he is going to.

He is a systemless talent, meaning his talent will perform at a high level in ANY offense.

Ken Becks [TheScout] has been covering & scouting NFL prospects for over 30 years! Ken has worked with the Indoor Football Scouting Bureau and he’s been mentioned in publications such as Scout.com, ABCNews.com, and TheNewsStar.com. He covers the NFL Draft for FirstRoundMock.com and he is the founder and Director of 1stDownScouting.com. Follow him @1stdown_scout on Twitter.