The Chargers are adding another weapon for Justin Herbert.
Los Angeles selected TCU receiver Quentin Johnston with the 21st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday.
If the Chargers learned anything in 2022, it was the importance of depth at receiver. They've responded accordingly, selecting a pass catcher who should fit in seamlessly in Los Angeles.
As the Power Five leader in yards per reception combined from 2021 to 2022, Johnston will bring big-play ability to a corps that already isn't short on it, thanks to the presence and performance of big-bodied wideout Mike Williams and veteran Keenan Allen.
At 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Johnson brings size and stellar speed (4.51 40-yard-dash) NFL scouts love to see out of a big-play wideout. The addition of Johnston should add not just big plays but insurance for a squad that was hamstrung by injuries last season to the aforementioned Allen and Williams.
A three-year player at TCU, Johnston burst out in 2022, generating 60 catches for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games with the Horned Frogs. He was named a first-team All-Big 12 player in each of the past two campaigns.
Johnston is a long strider, eating up ground in a hurry with the burst to beat press coverage and create big plays on deep balls. Size allows him to run through contact after the catch and own elusiveness in space for a man of his stature.
Drops were Johnston's biggest issue in college, and he'll need to clean up his focus, particularly on contested catches. However, his improvement in all three seasons with the Horned Frogs suggests the surface is just being scratched for a playmaker with ideal size and speed to be a difference-maker on the outside in the NFL.
Los Angeles' selection of Johnston makes it four straight drafts in which the Chargers have spent a first-round pick on an offensive player. Johnston is the first receiver of that five-man group, and will hope to make an impact for a team that had four receivers with 500-plus receiving yards in 2022, the best in the NFL.
After the departure of DeAndre Carter, the Chargers had a need at the position. They've selected an explosive receiver who can make a difference as a secondary option alongside Williams and Allen, and eventually succeed one or both of them when the time comes for them to move on from Los Angeles.
