Creative mover with a great slide step during initial penetration as well as through gap as an avoidance tool.  Abruptness is a plus trait shows up in spades at all levels - above average work in deceleration. See this a lot in the screen game with his capacity to survey & dart to openings.

Can make high degree of difficulty changes in direction. Lack of acceleration capabilities are an aid here - slows him down. Footwork is sporactic & reactive in nature. Wide angular cuts that cause him to miss open areas at times, but also vault him into space on occasion. Fun to watch, but frustrating sequentially - objective becomes making defender #1 miss then moving onto next problem to solve. Problem solving categorization = singular, reactive. High end problem solvers = layered, preparatory. In terms of how they set everything up, down to down.

Not a good chess player of a back - has significant issues taking unnecessary contact. Gets hit HARD at times because of this. Bucky Irving, Devin Singletary are comparable in different veins - effort based, never say die & focused on making man #1 miss. Irving & Singletary as prospects both layered engagements at a higher level & were more consistent finding solutions during multi-layered situations. Johnson can get there, needs to slow his internal clock & start finding more economical solutions when space condenses.

Excellent balance based qualities & can create explosives when he's seemingly pinned down. The slide step he utilizes is an aid through as well - negates glances & in-direct wrap attempts with it, regularly.

Where Johnson can get into trouble is the low red zone. Has a difficult time with playing defenders square through contact. Rarely, does he gain yards by accelerating during direct engagements. Struggles when he can't pivot, slide and negate wrap attempts. Gets blown up in gap by backers when he has to put his shoulder down. 

Lack of mass + Lack of qualities in acceleration = Poor capabilities in short yardage & LRZ situations. 

Upper percentile capabilities as a receiver with excellent work as an option in the screen game - patient, sudden and sets up downfield blocks well. Can run an above remedial tree. Angle & option routes are in the cards with Johnson - his creative nature as a mover is an aid here.

His hands are upper percentile. Shows consistently that he can operate on difficult targets away from frame. His work after the catch is great, continually difficult to get him to the ground in singular engagements. A little Duke Johnson flavor as a receiver. 

This is the difference between prospects like Johnson, Irving, Singletary being early Day 2 picks in today’s era vs Day 3 dart throws.

Johnson is adequate in initial acceleration, but is poor in early acceleration and is a near liability past 25 yards. Will almost always get run down in open areas.

Regularly do you see him decelerating when he should beat an angle to the corner - doesn’t trust his gears, which is warranted. This is the quality that the NFL won’t improve, he’ll have to work to better himself in the velocity department.