The Los Angeles Chargers used their 2023 first-round selection on wide receiver Quentin Johnston. He was the 21st overall selection, coming off a massive National Championship loss where he had three targets for one catch that went for 3 yards. It’s a very disappointing stat line for a receiver that was at one point considered the first receiver that should be off the board in the 2023 draft class. Now with the Bolts, he has yet to truly show up. Thus far he is another Tom Telesco selection that has yet to pan out, but is he a bust like the majority saying he is?
Is This Chargers Rookie a Product Of Poor Usage or Poor Performance? – A Deep Dive
Why Was Quentin Johnston Drafted So High?
When you are looking at a prospect you can develop, Quentin Johnston was the perfect receiving option for such. He has the size, speed, agility, and ability to create after the catch. He combined this athletic ability with good college production as well as only 21 at the time of drafting. So what is the catch?
The catch is he literally cannot catch the football. Pretty damning if your job description has “receiver” in the name.
That said, scouts as a majority had Quentin Johnston as a late first-round selection. He was a very enticing prospect to any team that needs a big body that can stretch the field and do the hard work for a quarterback, which was turning nothing into something. That said, a team that is in desperate need of having any sort of help for their young star quarterback picked in the range where he was projected to go. Insert Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert, the fit sounds pretty solid.
Quentin Johnston was viewed as a very average selection for the Chargers, nothing to quantify him as a value, but not a reach. Johnston struggled with drops, physicality, contested catches, and sometimes stiffness in his routes. The flip side of that was he is fast, tall, young, and shown to be a good receiver with a not-so-great Quarterback situation. So, how did he do in 2023?
2023 Season In Review
Quentin Johnston’s season wasn’t anything all too special, and when pretty expected if you consider him as the fourth receiver on this Chargers’ depth chart. The thing was, he wasn’t the fourth receiver. He was the third receiver after Mike Williams got hurt in week two, then was the receiver two when Joshua Palmer was in and out of the lineup with a plethora of injuries, and then became the number one receiver when both Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer were banged up. He did not produce as a receiver one, let alone a decent number three option.
2023 Statline:
- 67 Targets
- 38 Catches
- 431 Yards
- 2 Touchdowns
Quentin Johnston had very pedestrian numbers in his first season as a pro. He showed very little promise in his 17 games on the field. He had a few exciting catches, such as the long pass from Easton Stick, where he almost dropped the damn thing- but it was a catch at the end of the day. Though, he also had a few heart-wrenching drops. In the week 11 game against Green Bay, Quentin Johnston drops the game-winner. The Chargers relied on him down the stretch of the year, and he just did not produce. A mindset change was imminent for Johnston, and though he said such, not much changed on the field.
The question remains: Is he another Tom Telesco selection that has yet to pan out?
So, Is Quentin Johnston Really a Bust?
What Did he do Right?
Quentin Johnston gets a lot of flack from fans, media, and analysts. Much of it is deserved, as he simply had high expectations and did not live up to those in his first year. However, he was just a 21-year-old rookie drafted to be the fourth or fifth option in the Chargers offense, thrusted into a much higher-priority role quickly into his young career.
The former Texas Christian University Receiver showed some prowess being able to create yards after the catch when asked to so- which was not often. He ranks in the top ten of every missed tackles forced receiving category amongst all rookies with at least 3 targets in the respective passing zone (behind LOS, short, intermediate, deep). Though this is a good sign to show that he is pretty good when called upon for his usage as a YAC threat, the list is usually not more than 35 total players. To his credit, his sample size is small, and he still ranks quite highly.
This play shows the ability to beat an overaggressive defender with his quickness. Not much else to say as the ball was out quick.
Quentin Johnston with a HUGE play!#RatedRookie | #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/ZTG7vlIKfO
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) December 11, 2023
This next play looks like Johnston sets up his defender to think that he is going inside, to shift his leverage back outside, to finally shift back to inside to give the defender poor positioning to play the perfectly thrown ball by Easton Stick.
There are some flashes with Johnston, it’s just few and far between.
Coaching Did Not Help
The main thing I want to argue for Johnston is that coaching was pretty poor. He was constantly put into bad situations where you are shoving a square peg in a round hole. For example, Johnston ranks second amongst all rookies in contested catch targets. One of his biggest concerns in college is that he cannot catch contested balls. So what was he asked to do in the NFL? Exactly that. Not a great plan.
When he was finally asked to do what he was good at, which was creating yards after the catch- he was fine! Just like I said before, Johnston wasn’t asked much to take screens and short drags up the field, but when was asked, he actually performed as he should have.
Hopefully in 2024 under a new offensive scheme, there hopefully will be recognition of what his skillset actually is, and his confidence grows. Then, he can grow into the receiver that draft analysts saw he could be.
What Does he Need to Improve on if he Wants to Avoid Being Labeled a Bust?
I have spent the majority of this article praising Johnston and giving reasons for his lack of success. This is where I stop doing so. He has so many awful drops. You almost start to feel bad for the rookie, as it looks mental for plenty of the drops. That doesn’t make it magically better though, he still needs to catch the football. His drop grade amongst all receivers with at least 15 targets ranks 94th out of 154 receivers at an alarming 64.3.
Quentin Johnston with the BRICKS for hands
— ًBoltUpYo (@BoltUpYo) December 3, 2023
This goes beyond routine catches. He struggles especially in contested catch situations. He ranks 113 out of 154 in contested catch percentage amongst all receivers with at least 15 targets. This is even worse when you see that he ranks T-21st in contested catch targets.
Beyond the contested catch issue, Johnston struggles with creating separation. He ranks 117th out of 154 in yards per route run. Beyond statistics, a tweet by Arjun Menon shows all catchable targets from week two to week 11. The few catches were created from impeccable placement and timing from Justin Herbert. The rest are tight window throws where he cannot make the play. If he were able to create separation, these throws likely would not be tight window throws.
A fun compilation of every downfield catchable target Quentin Johnston has gotten this season. pic.twitter.com/v6vt9Capzg
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) November 20, 2023
All of this to say is that Johnston is not a perfect player. He has shown the ability to create with the ball in his hands, and the ability to at times be a playmaker. Beyond this, he needs to work on his routes consistently being sharp, his contested catches, his hand strength, his “want” to dominate his opponent, and his concentration.
Outlook For The Jim Harbaugh Led 2024 Season
The outlook for Quentin Johnston can go one of two very different ways. The more optimistic way for Johnston is that he gets promoted to wide receiver three once Mike Williams is likely cut or traded, and he gets more reps in camp. He works on his weaknesses and sharpens his strengths, as well as being used in a role he will excel in. This newfound situation with the new coaching staff turns into plays on the field, and his development is strong. A bounce-back year for the then-second-year first-round receiver.
The second way is that he is replaced. The Chargers draft a receiver within the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, and Johnston is back to being the fourth receiver. He is placed into a more concise role, where he can still possibly produce; though that is asking him to do the same thing he was initially asked to do this year. Be the fourth guy and produce like a first-round receiver. Not really a realistic expectation.
So what will it be for Johnston? We will find out during the 2024 season. Hopefully, Jim Harbaugh and company see what he has shown and let him develop into what he can truly be. It’s do or die for Quentin Johnston.
Main Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
