Diontae Johnson Explained

Diontae Johnson
Current Team:Carolina Panthers
Number:5
Position:Wide receiver
Birth Date:5 July 1996
Birth Place:Ruskin, Florida, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:10
Weight Lb:183
High School:Earl J. Lennard
(Ruskin, Florida)
College:Toledo (2015–2018)
Draftyear:2019
Draftround:3
Draftpick:66
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Highlights:
Statleague:NFL
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Receptions
Statvalue1:391
Statlabel2:Receiving yards
Statvalue2:4,363
Statlabel3:Receiving touchdowns
Statvalue3:25
Pfr:JohnDi01

Diontae Lamarcus Johnson (born July 5, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Toledo Rockets and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.[1]

Early years

Johnson attended and played high school football at Earl J. Lennard High School in Ruskin, Florida.[2] [3]

College career

Johnson played college football for Toledo from 2015 to 2018.[4] [5] During his time at Toledo, he had 135 catches for 2,235 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also had four rushing attempts for 26 yards. His sophomore year was his best, where he had 74 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns.[6]

Collegiate statistics

Toledo Rockets football
SeasonTeamClassGPReceiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
ToledoFR 11 12 196 16.3 2
ToledoSO 0
ToledoR-SO 14 74 1,278 17.3 13
ToledoR-JR 13 49 761 15.5 8
Career 38 135 2,235 16.6 23

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

2019

Johnson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round, 66th overall, of the 2019 NFL draft.[7] The Steelers originally acquired the selection in a trade that sent Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders. Johnson made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. In the game, Johnson made three catches for 25 yards in the 33–3 loss.[8] In Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers, Johnson caught three passes for 52 yards and his first career touchdown as the Steelers lost 24–20.[9] In Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, Johnson caught five passes for a career-high 84 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown, in the 27–14 win.[10] In Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football, Johnson was concussed after safety Damarious Randall made a helmet to helmet hit on him.[11] In Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals, Johnson caught six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt for an 85-yard touchdown in the 23–17 win, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[12] [13] On January 3, 2020, Johnson was named to the NFL All-Pro Second-team as a punt return specialist.[14] Overall, Johnson finished the 2019 season with 59 receptions for 680 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.[15]

2020

Johnson finished the 2020 season with 88 receptions for 923 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 15 games. He had two games going over the 100-yard mark on the season.[16]

In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Browns, Johnson recorded 11 catches for 117 yards during the 48–37 loss.[17]

2021

Johnson finished the 2021 season with 107 receptions for 1,161 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 16 games. He had three games going over the 100-yard mark on the season.[18]

In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, Johnson caught five passes totaling 34 yards and a touchdown in the 42–21 loss.[19]

After the AFC Championship game which resulted in the Cincinnati Bengals making it to Super Bowl LVI, he was named to his first Pro Bowl, replacing Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase.[20]

2022

On August 4, 2022, Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71 million contract extension with the Steelers that included $27 million guaranteed.[21]

In Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers, Johnson had his best game of the season with 10 receptions for 98 yards, both season highs.[22] He finished the 2022 season with a team-high 86 receptions for 882 yards and zero touchdowns, setting an NFL record for most receptions in a season without a touchdown.[23]

2023

Johnson opened up the 2023 season against the 49ers, in which he sustained a hamstring injury, taking him out of action for at least a month.[24] He was placed on injured reserve on September 18, 2023.[25] He was activated on October 21, 2023.[26] He caught a touchdown in week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, his first in 655 days.[27] He also had a season-high 90 yards in the same game. He finished the 2023 season with 51 receptions for 717 yards and five touchdowns. [28]

Carolina Panthers

2024

On March 12, 2024, Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson, and the 178th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[29]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesReceivingRushingReturningFumbles
PIT16 12 59 680 11.5 45 5 4 41 10.3 17 0 20 248 12.4 85 1 5 5
PIT15 13 88 923 10.5 47 7 3 15 5.0 9 0 8 82 9.1 24 0 2 0
PIT16 14 107 1,161 10.9 50 8 5 53 10.6 25 0 0 0 — 0 0 2 2
PIT17 17 86 882 10.3 37 0 7 25 3.6 8 0 0 0 — 0 0 1 0
PIT13 11 51 717 14.1 715 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 1 0
Career 77 67 391 4,363 11.2 71 25 19 134 7.1 25 0 28 306 10.9 85 1 11 7

Postseason

YearTeamGamesReceivingFumbles
PIT1 1 11 117 10.6 19 0 0 0
PIT1 1 5 34 6.8 13 1 0 0
PIT1 1 4 48 12.0 19 1 0 0
Career 3 3 20 199 10.0 19 2 0 0

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fittipaldo . Ray . April 12, 2019 . Steelers playing host to Toledo WR Diontae Johnson . September 25, 2019 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . April 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190427014353/https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/04/12/Steelers-playing-host-to-Toledo-WR-Diontae-Johnson-Friday-predraft-visit/stories/201904120101 . live .
  2. Web site: Diontae Johnson, Lennard, Wide Receiver . March 23, 2020 . 247Sports . en-US.
  3. Web site: Brady . Kevin . February 4, 2015 . Lennard's Diontae Johnson named state, county all-star . March 4, 2023 . The Observer News (South Shore, Riverview, Sun City Center and North Manatee) . en-US . March 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230304003823/https://www.observernews.net/2015/02/04/lennards-diontae-johnson-named-state-county-all-star/ . live .
  4. Web site: Diontae Johnson – Football . January 31, 2022 . University of Toledo Athletics . September 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220920174119/https://utrockets.com/sports/football/roster/diontae-johnson/5830 . live .
  5. Web site: Vukovcan . Mike . April 27, 2019 . Toledo Coach Jason Candle Believes Steelers a Great Fit for Diontae Johnson . January 31, 2022 . Steelers Now . en-US . January 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220131145009/https://steelersnow.com/toledo-coach-jason-candle-believes-steelers-great-fit-for-diontae-johnson/ . live .
  6. Web site: Diontae Johnson College Stats . March 23, 2020 . College Football at Sports-Reference.com . en . August 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200819073520/https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/diontae-johnson-1.html . live .
  7. Web site: April 26, 2019 . Steelers select Johnson in third round . September 25, 2019 . Steelers.com . June 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190609044505/https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-select-johnson-in-third-round . live .
  8. Web site: September 8, 2019 . Brady starts his 20th season by beating Steelers 33–3 . September 8, 2019 . ESPN.com . Associated Press . September 10, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190910085924/https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401127860 . live .
  9. Web site: September 22, 2019 . Sloppy 49ers beat Steelers 24–20 on late Garoppolo TD pass . September 22, 2019 . ESPN.com . Associated Press . September 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190923011510/https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401127998 . live .
  10. Web site: October 28, 2019 . Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27–14 . October 28, 2019 . ESPN.com . Associated Press . November 4, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191104011247/https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401128074 . live .
  11. Web site: November 14, 2019 . Browns, Steelers brawl at end of Cleveland's 21–7 win . November 14, 2019 . ESPN.com . Associated Press . November 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191117075237/https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401128044 . live .
  12. Web site: December 8, 2019 . Steelers hang on for 23–17 victory over Cardinals . December 8, 2019 . ESPN.com . Associated Press . December 10, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191210192434/https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap?gameId=401128002 . live .
  13. Web site: Bergman . Jeremy . December 11, 2019 . Ryan Tannehill, Jimmy Garoppolo among Players of the Week . December 3, 2020 . NFL.com . December 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191211134024/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001086756/article/ryan-tannehill-jimmy-garoppolo-among-players-of-the-week . live .
  14. Web site: 2019 NFL All-Pros . March 23, 2020 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . January 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130103819/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2019/allpro.htm . live .
  15. Web site: Diontae Johnson 2019 Game Log . March 23, 2020 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . March 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200323185509/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JohnDi01/gamelog/2019/ . live .
  16. Web site: Diontae Johnson 2020 Game Log . January 31, 2022 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . January 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220131144715/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JohnDi01/gamelog/2020/ . live .
  17. Web site: Wild Card - Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 10th, 2021 . January 10, 2021 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . January 11, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210111230456/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202101100pit.htm . live .
  18. Web site: Diontae Johnson 2021 Game Log . January 31, 2022 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en . January 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220131144512/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JohnDi01/gamelog/2021/ . live .
  19. Web site: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs - January 16th, 2022 - GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. January 17, 2022. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en. January 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128104256/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202201160kan.htm. live.
  20. Web site: Koehler . Allison . January 31, 2022 . 2 Steelers alternates named to 2022 NFL Pro Bowl . January 31, 2022 . Steelers Wire . en-US . January 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220131052028/https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2022/01/30/steelers-pr-bowl-alternates-diontae-johnson-najee-harris-vegas/ . live .
  21. Web site: Edholm . Eric . August 4, 2022 . Steelers signing WR Diontae Johnson to two-year, $36.71M extension . March 3, 2023 . NFL.com . February 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230228174025/https://www.nfl.com/news/diontae-johnson-steelers-extension-sign-wr-two-year-36-million . live .
  22. Strackbein . Noah . Thompson . Stephen . Steelers vs Panthers Takeaways: Diontae Johnson's Shut Up Game . January 13, 2023 . Sports Illustrated . December 19, 2022 . en . January 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230113044643/https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/allsteelers-plus/pittsburgh-steelers-panthers-takeaways-diontae-johnsons-shut-game . live .
  23. Web site: Marczi . Matthew . January 9, 2023 . So Close, Yet So Far: Diontae Johnson Officially Owns Record For Most Catches Without A TD . January 10, 2023 . Steelers Depot . en-US.
  24. Web site: Strackbein . Noah . September 13, 2023 . Steelers Waiting on Cam Heyward, Diontae Johnson Decisions . September 13, 2023 . si.com . November 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231103031122/https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/news/pittsburgh-steelers-waiting-cam-heyward-diontae-johnson-decisions . live .
  25. Web site: Steelers make roster moves ahead of MNF. Steelers.com. September 18, 2023. September 19, 2023. September 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230922213014/https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-make-roster-moves-ahead-of-mnf. live.
  26. Web site: Steelers activate Johnson, make other moves. Varley, Teresa. Steelers.com. October 21, 2023. October 21, 2023. October 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231021155302/https://www.steelers.com/news/steelers-activate-johnson-make-other-moves. live.
  27. Web site: 2023-11-03 . Diontae Johnson's last TD catch: Steelers WR finally end drought that started with Ben Roethlisberger Sporting News . 2024-06-05 . www.sportingnews.com . en-us.
  28. Web site: 2024-03-12. Steelers trade Diontae Johnson to Panthers, per sources: What Carolina gets in the WR. The Athletic. June 24, 2024.
  29. Web site: Panthers acquiring Steelers WR Diontae Johnson for CB Donte Jackson; teams swapping picks. Kownack, Bobby. NFL.com. March 12, 2024. March 15, 2024. March 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240313120409/https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-acquiring-steelers-wr-diontae-johnson-for-cb-donte-jackson-pick-swap. live.

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