Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
Size:
Height: 5097
Weight: 154
Arm: 29 ⅜”
Hand: 9”
Accomplishments:
Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2023) • All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention (2022) • Third-Team All-Sun Belt (2021)
“Tez Johnson is a skilled and productive wide receiver prospect with the quick route-running and processing needed to be a highly effective slot receiver for a pass-heavy offense in the NFL.”
Strengths:
Ability to accelerate/decelerate
Punt return value
RPO and quick game receiver
YAC/elusiveness in a phone booth
Concerns:
Situational awareness
Drops
Thin, wiry frame/light in the pants
Limited catch radius
Film Analysis:
Tez Johnson enters the NFL after spending a year as the leading playmaker in Dan Lanning’s Oregon passing attack, which helped lead the Ducks to the No. 1 overall ranking in the CFP. His offensive impact stems from quick-twitch movements, coverage indication, and route-running. Johnson offers run-after-catch ability and punt return value to flip field position and help his offense get into a rhythm.
Johnson is a smooth, quick-moving wide receiver prospect who lives and thrives in the slot. He is a good route-runner with a strong knowledge of attacking angles and leverage. He processes information fairly well, identifying the defender’s drop in zone coverage. Johnson is a strong option route-runner, quickly reading the defender’s leverage and determining his break direction based on where the defender goes into their drop. Against soft coverage, he is good at pressing up and releasing past them upfield. Johnson's dynamic burst makes him a difficult WR to bring down post-catch in the open field. He will make defenders miss after the catch with his stop-start ability in close quarters.
Against man coverage, Johnson uses quick-twitch movements at the line of scrimmage to push the DB off their spots, creating an open lane to crossover into. He has multiple releases to defeat DBs in tight/press alignment or against soft/off-coverage. Johnson has a quick foot-fire that holds DBs in place as he snaps inside or outside. With a two-way go in the slot, he is a hassle to slow down because of his foot speed and quickness at the release and breakpoint. Johnson plays basketball on turf with crossover-like moves to displace and defeat defenders.
Johnson has a thin, wiry frame and is light in the pants. He struggles to get free from physical press defenders if their punches land. He can be re-routed and pushed off his route path by zone defenders. He is not a high-traffic receiver who will embrace contact at the catch point. Johnson is a slot-only player with a limited wingspan. Battling at the catch point will not be his go-to. Johnson tends to be a body-catcher with inconsistent hands. He has drops that should be easy receptions on tape. Cleaning this up will help him be a more reliable weapon on offense.
Overall, Johnson projects as a twitched-up run-after-catch slot receiver. His build is similar to Los Angeles Rams WR Tutu Atwell. Johnson will fit in an RPO/spread and West Coast passing attack with option routes with the chance for YAC. If nothing else, Johnson will bring a dynamic return man to help bolster an NFL’s special teams unit with the new kickoff rules beginning in 2024.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Exposures: Ohio State (2025), Ohio State (2024), Penn State (2024), Michigan (2024), Cal (2023), Washington (2023), USC (2023), Washington (2023), Texas Tech (2023)
