{"id":109698,"date":"2021-04-12T15:00:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T19:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=109698"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:01:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:01:46","slug":"cade-johnson-2021-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/04\/12\/cade-johnson-2021-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 NFL Draft: Cade Johnson Player Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Cade Johnson NFL Draft Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Position:<\/strong> Wide Receiver<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Height:<\/strong> 5\u2019-10&#8243;<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Weight:<\/strong> 184 pounds<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>School:<\/strong> South Dakota State<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Cade Johnson 2021 NFL Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NFL teams are spoilt for choice by the depth of the wide receiver class entering the 2021 NFL Draft. It\u2019s easy for gems to fall through the cracks, particularly due to the impact COVID-19 had on the 2020 season. Cade Johnson is the perfect example. South Dakota State\u2019s FCS season was completely canceled in 2020. However, Johnson dominated at South Dakota State in 2018 and 2019. His draft stock shouldn\u2019t be punished for something beyond his control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Born in Nebraska, Johnson attended Bellevue West High School in Papillion. He was named first-team All-State as a Senior after catching 43 passes for 1,061 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. However, Johnson failed to attract significant interest from colleges and walked on to the FCS South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Division One colleges missed out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After redshirting in 2016, Johnson spent 2017 as the team\u2019s primary kick returner. He returned 30 kicks for a school record 839 yards, including two touchdowns. Johnson built up his frame and playing strength during his first two years on campus. In 2018, Johnson led the jackrabbits w<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ith 67 receptions for 1,332 yards and a single-season school-record 17 touchdown receptions. Johnson earned FCS first-team All-American honors in 2019 after finishing the season with 72 catches for 1,222 yards and eight touchdowns. After the 2020 FCS season was canceled, Johnson declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Strengths<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talented receiver &#8211; showcased good eye\/hand coordination with soft hands and timing;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explosive burst into his routes &#8211; Plays fast;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excellent body control &#8211; Adjusts to the ball thrown;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creates separation with short-area quickness &#8211; Sharp cuts on underneath routes;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elusive with the ball in his hands\u00a0 &#8211; Potential YAC weapon thanks to his return skills;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kick Return history a bonus.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Weaknesses<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lacks prototypical size for a number one receiver &#8211; Smaller length to compete for 50-50 balls;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doesn\u2019t possess top-end speed;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Level of competition is the obvious downside when evaluating FCS receivers;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More physical than he looks, but unlikely to run anyone over at the pro level;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Could be limited to slot receiver\/kick returns at the pro level.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;5608&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>NFL Comparison:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/ShepSt00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sterling Shepard<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Johnson possesses a similar skillset to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/giants\/\" target=\"_self\">New York Giants<\/a> wide receiver Shepard. However, Shepard was a more polished prospect coming out of Oklahoma in 2016. Relying on short-area quickness, sharp cuts, and elusiveness to be productive, Shepard has developed into a dynamic pro receiver. Johnson isn\u2019t as gifted an athlete, but projects as a similar style of a receiver at the pro level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Teams With Need at Position:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Bears<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bengals\/\" target=\"_self\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/dolphins\/\" target=\"_self\">Miami Dolphins<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/eagles\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_self\">Detroit Lions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/packers\/\" target=\"_self\">Green Bay Packers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Projection:<\/strong> Day 3 Pick<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Bottom Line on Cade Johnson<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Johnson was extremely productive for the jackrabbits. He showed good ability to separate in the slot and the toughness required to play the position. Scouts will worry about Johnson\u2019s size to be able to handle the physical collisions slot receivers endure in the NFL. However, Johnson displayed a willingness to work underneath, find space against zone coverage, and be productive. There\u2019s an unappreciated toughness to his game for a receiver of his size.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Doubts over the level of competition persist throughout the draft process. Johnson chose not to enter the NCAA transfer portal in 2020, which could have seen him play for a power five college as a senior. However, he couldn\u2019t resist the calling of the NFL. Only time will tell if that was the right decision for his potential professional career. Scouts will also point to the limited catch radius and doubt his ability to make contested catches at the next level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Division one schools missed on Johnson coming out of high school. He has fought and clawed his way up draft boards throughout his time at South Dakota State. Scouts and coaches love the production and are taking notice of Johnson. There is starting slot receiver potential in Johnson. He will also earn reps on special teams, courtesy of the exceptional production as a returner in college. The return skills give him an advantage over a number of receivers who played a higher level in college but didn\u2019t showcase the return ability Johnson possesses. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"LBcBAL1lT5JYx4a87kCnHQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1303371306\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'LBcBAL1lT5JYx4a87kCnHQ',sig:'ryDYZWV5crtynn-3Sq8tL1Vve4rNjqXV2aEaiSgvOm4=',w:'594px',h:'446px',items:'1303371306',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cade Johnson NFL Draft Overview Position: College: South Dakota State. Wide Receiver. There is starting slot receiver potential in Johnson&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3597,"featured_media":109845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[7971,2030],"class_list":["post-109698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-cade-johnson","tag-nfl-draft-profiles"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3597"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":247000,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109698\/revisions\/247000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}