Fourth-round pick Theo Johnson feels Giants were a ‘perfect match’ in NFL Draft
With Darren Waller’s future remaining a question mark, GM Joe Schoen and the Giants decided to make an addition to their tight end room during last week’s draft, selecting Penn State’s Theo Johnson in the fourth round.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Johnson told Madelyn Burke of Giants.com. “It was awesome, I was at home surrounded by some of my family and close friends. I’ve put in so much work to get here so I’m just super excited to be a Giant.”
Johnson was one of numerous top-ranked tight ends that Big Blue met with throughout the pre-draft process, so he had a feeling that they were a team to keep an eye on as a potential landing spot.
“They showed a lot of interest early on,” he said. “I knew they were a team that told me how much they liked me and how much they thought I’d do well in their system, so I think it’s a perfect match. It doesn’t always work out like that but in my situation it did.”
Whether or not Waller decides to hang up the spikes, Johnson certainly has the makings of a nice compliment alongside third-year TE Daniel Bellinger in New York’s offense.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and 240 lbs, the 23-year-old brings a ton of size and athleticism and he’s proven to be a steady and reliable blocker in both run and pass protection during his four collegiate seasons.
Despite playing in a run-heavy Nittany Lions offense, Johnson hauled in a career-best 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns across 13 games during a stellar senior campaign.
"I’m a gritty guy,” he said. “I do the non-flashy stuff but can also do the flashy stuff too, I’m someone who can get down in the trenches and do some of the dirty work, but I can also make the tough catches and be a real factor in the passing game.
“I’m high production and low maintenance, so I think that coming in I’m going to be someone that people will have a lot of respect for right away with just the way that I come to work every single day.”
It remains to be seen how Johnson’s skillset will develop at the pro level, but he certainly has all the makings of another potential weapon for Daniel Jones and a Day 3 steal for Schoen and the Giants.
