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Round 3 Pick Diontae Johnson

SteveA said:
Now that we've seen him actually play, what say ye about this pick?
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I wanted Winovich to help the pass rush. Adding Bush and Fitz has helped the defense quite a bit, and Bud is playing pretty damn well.

Without DJ, I sort of shudder to think about what the WR corps would look like. Very solid choice and DJ is on pace for 57 receptions, 700 yards, and 7 TD's, where his production is headed up.
 
DJ is for real. Mason just missed him for another huge TD last night...he was flying past dudes.

I'm glad I held my tongue when we picked him. Tombert and scouts deserve the benefit of the doubt when drafting WRs
 
mightyguru said:
DJ is for real. Mason just missed him for another huge TD last night...he was flying past dudes.

I'm glad I held my tongue when we picked him. Tombert and scouts deserve the benefit of the doubt when drafting WRs
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And I think Darryl Drake (RIP) had a big hand in them selecting DJ. Getting really excited about this kid. You can see his confidence skyrocket too, love it.
 
Steelworth said:
And I think Darryl Drake (RIP) had a big hand in them selecting DJ. Getting really excited about this kid. You can see his confidence skyrocket too, love it.
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You would be correct sir. I'll have to find the interview, but I recall a post draft interview with him and he specifically speaking highly of this kid, and that he was the target all along.
 
mightyguru said:
DJ is for real. Mason just missed him for another huge TD last night...he was flying past dudes.
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Hoping he continues to abuse man coverage, because we are going to see A LOT of that the rest of the season as teams blitz Rudolph. If he can hit Juju and Johnson deep on man coverage, the game simply changes.

I am hoping that DJ can be the Steelers version of what Tyreek Hill does to defenses - they panic when he goes in motion, and dedicate a ton of attention to him. That opens up the running game, the secondary receivers, the TE, the middle of the field ... everything.
 
I saw a blurb on this after the draft, then read it again yesterday somewhere, that Diontae Johnson was the #1 overall WR on the Steelers draft board.

Yes, you read that right, they had Diontae ranked ahead of Metcalf, AJ Brown, N'Keal Harry et al.

Listening to that Drake presser, you get the sense that may very well have been the case.
 
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Here it is....

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Diontae Johnson was the top receiver on the Steelers' entire board in April. They think they've got a star. And they're usually right about that position.</p>— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1188994664378109953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>
 
Awesome that this came up again. Proves the cluelessness of some.
 
IIRC Arians was vexed to no end that we picked DJ when we did. Texted Drake that he was their next pick


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fogdoctor said:
I did not hate the pick.

I know a lot of people will hate it but he does have elite body control (and I do mean ELITE), gets a lot of 50/50 balls for his size, and he can make cuts at max speed and while accelerating. That generally translates pretty well and I believe that is what the Steelers look for.

Also, if he ran in the low 4.4, we would not have had a shot at him. I would LOVE to see AB decline and Johnson turn into an AB clone in his prime.
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I am a Goddamn genius.

Just don't look back at my post about how Dupree was going to be a 8-10 sack a year player.
 
BLITZ said:
Yeah I was pissed when we drafted him. I want Winovich. I have said it 1000 times. Thank god I do not own the Steelers.
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DJ looks to be a damn good player at a position of need. However, Winovich looks like a keeper. Not playing much, yet 4.5 sacks in 8 games.
 
madinsomniac said:
This was my take too... I usually buy a couple draft guides and i had him highlighted as a lower round chance I would like them taking.... he is brownish, but you aren’t catching lightning in a bottle twice in a row using a legacy pick from one wr to get another one as great or better.... they really should have traded down
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I was wrong about them trading down for him. Had they waited a round he would not have been there... he was moving up the boards for several teams... he isn’t going to be the best wr of his era, but he is looking good already.
 
Here is the thing about 40 times... they don’t tell you anything at all about players playing speed... so much more goes into playing fast than just 40 speed... reaction times, mental processing, motion fluidity, burst, change of direction, anticipation... ... if you have a lightning fast guy who has to slow up to find tge ball, or who has a slowchange of direction, or who processes coverages slowly... they won’t play as fast as they are straight line... and a couple tenths of a second... even a FULL second speed difference divided over forty yards is almost nothing in most plays... a good angle from even a slow safety can catch most players if they read it fast enough...... but a player that can shift direction without telegraphing the move and who makes fast reads on defenses can be brutal to cover... like the “ slow” jerry rice
 
madinsomniac said:
Here is the thing about 40 times... they don’t tell you anything at all about players playing speed... so much more goes into playing fast than just 40 speed... reaction times, mental processing, motion fluidity, burst, change of direction, anticipation... ... if you have a lightning fast guy who has to slow up to find the ball, or who has a slow change of direction, or who processes overages slowly... they won’t play as fast as they are straight line... and a couple tenths of a second... even a FULL second speed difference divided over forty yards is almost nothing in most plays... a good angle from even a slow safety can catch most players if they read it fast enough...... but a player that can shift direction without telegraphing the move and who makes fast reads on defenses can be brutal to cover... like the “ slow” jerry rice
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Oh **** cooch is going to blow a gasket.
 
Steeltime said:
DJ looks to be a damn good player at a position of need. However, Winovich looks like a keeper. Not playing much, yet 4.5 sacks in 8 games.
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Winovich would have been really good. High motor guy, physical. Shame we couldn't get him.
 
SteveA said:
It was a blast reading these comments about a man that probably no one making the comments had actually seen play. Man, this pick was pretty damn unpopular....

We've now had 7 games to actually watch this shifty receiver, with great hands & veteran route running skills...He definitely has football speed as he displayed last night

Now that we've seen him actually play, what say ye about this pick?
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I said it from the start - he plays like the old #84. I'm not changing my tune...
 
bermudasteel said:
I said it from the start - he plays like the old #84. I'm not changing my tune...
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His open field running on the 45-yard TD catch was pretty awesome. He plants and cuts at full speed, and defenders looked like they were stationary. That does remind me of a guy who used to play with the Steelers ... can't remember his name.
 
Steeltime said:
His open field running on the 45-yard TD catch was pretty awesome. He plants and cuts at full speed, and defenders looked like they were stationary. That does remind me of a guy who used to play with the Steelers ... can't remember his name.
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Does it rhyme with clown?

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Wasn't fond of the pick at the time, but I'll be damned if DJ doesn't remind me of an unpolished Antonio Brown, earlier in his career. I first noticed it in preseason, and Johnson has not disappointed thus far. I would have taken Winovich in a heartbeat at that spot, but maybe they'll both become great players.
 
Washington SMOKED two defenders on that TD. I love it! I really hope MR and Washington start jelling on the deep balls.
 
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