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Diontae Johnson is the next Hall of Fame Steelers WR
Yinzer Crazy • October 5, 2020
Typically, I’d be working on a Steelers recap today - but with no game this past weekend due to the Titans Covid-19 outbreak, I had a chance to write a piece that will hopefully make you as happy as reading about a Steelers victory on Monday.
Let’s allow this to fill that void.
It goes a little something like this.
I’ll never forget the reaction I had when the name “Diontae Johnson”
flashed onto my television screen in 2019.
I was at Coughlin's Law, a popular Mount Washington restaurant with a million dollar view and a damn good pulled pork sandwich.
I faintly heard on the audio above me, “in the 3rd round with pick number 66 overall - the Steelers select Wide Receiver Diontae Johnson out of Toledo.”
Almost as if it were the voice of God.
I looked over to my buddies and said - “really?!..." With some purple coleslaw from the sandwich smashed onto the side of my face.
“Did they really just take him over big bodied dudes like Miles Boykin out of Notre Dame and Hakeem Butler out of Iowa State?”
I have closely followed the draft for years and have consistently picked through prospective players scouting reports and tapped into my predictions for the next player who will wear black and gold that I'll be waving a towel for - alone in my living room.
But my reaction was authentic.
It was, “What are we doing?”
Well, like always in the wide receiver department - Kevin Colbert knew exactly what he was doing.
Flash forward a few years later and I sit here today thinking of the names Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Hines Ward and Antonio Brown when I hear the name Diontae Johnson.
These aren’t just guys. These are Hall of Famers.
That may be debatable in some circles as Ward and Brown have yet to be elected, but for my money the former Super Bowl MVP Psycho Ward deserves it, and AB should also get in for consistently dominating this past decade.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that DJ is the next in line in that heralded group.
This is not a piece designed to slander the names JuJu - Smith Schuster, Chase Claypool or James Washington.
Not even you Ryan Switzer.
But DJ is different.
Prior to the season, Sports Illustrated published an article headlined “2020: The Year of Diontae Johnson”.
So maybe I’m late to the party.
The DJ already has the turn-tables spinning.
But I’ll try to hit an even higher note.
How about this:
2020-2030 - The Decade of Diontae Johnson.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Johnson’s rookie campaign was nothing short of eye-popping. He tallied 59 catches and five touchdowns with the worst QB play in the league.
A lot of that coming with Duck Hodges under center - who currently sits at 4th on the QB Depth chart. He led every single NFL Wideout in separation (3.6 yards) while running 12% of his routes from the slot - meaning he was rarely the feature target.
Diontae reminds me of Antonio Brown.
AB has gone through a ton off the field recently that lets you forget just how good he really was this past decade on the field.
Based on production, he is an unquestioned first ballot HOF’er.
And the best WR in the league the past decade (apologies to Julio Jones and Larry Fitgerald).
Men lie, women lie - but numbers don't.
Brown led all NFL receivers in catches this past decade with 841. He also led the league in receiving yardage twice and made seven pro bowl rosters.
He was named first-team All-Pro four times.
In Brown’s rookie season, he compiled 16 catches for 167 yards from Roethlisberger.
In year two that ballooned to 69 receptions for 1108 and 2 TD’s.
Diontae is already above that pace in 2020, despite missing a game.
He’s off to a blazing start - with 14 receptions and a huge touchdown against the Broncos that sealed the victory for Pittsburgh.
But here’s the thing,
By his standards - I still don’t even think he’s played that well.
This is where I get major AB vibes.
When Diontae can post an eight for 92 stat line and it somehow doesn’t jump off of the page.
That’s a really
big game.
What Johnson needs to clean-up is the reckless nature he can play with at times. It’s also what makes him great.
He’s an explosive play-maker. Shifty
is the first word that comes to mind. Analogous to a great Crossover in basketball. He’s got an Allen Iverson-esque handle.
But his biggest downfall is how lackluster he can be with the football. Diontae had five fumbles in 2019. He’s already been careless in 2020 - with two key fumbles thus far.
I don’t think JuJu Smith-Schuster will be a Pittsburgh Steeler after this year.
I know that’s not an easy pill to swallow - and it’s no fault of his own.
But with Chase Claypool, Diontae and James Washington still under team control, it’s tough to see the team shelling out big bucks for JuJu this off-season in a contract year.
He will get more on the open market, and I can never blame a guy for maximizing his value in the name of business.
I think you can easily see Diontae claim the clear #1 receiver role in 2021, much like Antonio Brown did following the departures of Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.
DJ will continue providing a security blanket type feel underneath, while guys like Chase Claypool can work consistently over the top.
The biggest question for DJ is what happens post- Ben Roethlisberger life.
Hopefully for Yinzer nation, that shelf-life is still holding on for another season or two.
I don’t know exactly what the team’s has planned for post-Ben life - that’s another story for another day.
What I do know is that with Roethlisberger, Diontae can elevate his game to an Antonio Brown type level.
And with Diontae Johnson on the field, Ben can be the same QB that he was in AB’s last season with the Steelers in 2018 - when he led the league in passing yards with 5,129.
Just ahead of Patrick Mahomes who finished with 5,097.
Antonio Brown had more touchdowns than any wideout in football that year with 15.
If we’re late to the party on Diontae Johnson - just know that we still showed up.
That’s all anyone remembers the next day, anyways.
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Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Harv Aronson. Contact Harv @ Totalsportsrecall@gmail.com
Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Harv Aronson. Contact Harv @ Totalsportsrecall@gmail.com
Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Harv Aronson. Contact Harv @ Totalsportsrecall@gmail.com
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