The 2023 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching and one New England Patriots star knows who he wants the team to select in the first round.
Matthew Judon appeared on NFL Network and he gave a glowing recommendation to TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston.
“You can’t have enough offense. I like Quentin Johnston from TCU,” Judon said. “I think he’s a long, rangy guy. He has exceptional hands. He can catch anything, and he can stretch the field. I believe he was good against man, he was good against press, he was good every year he was at TCU and all he did was make big plays in big-time games.
“I think that’s eventually somebody you can’t leave 1-on-1 and I think as he grows into the offense, he’s just going to make our offense boom even more and he’s going to be a deep ball threat,” Judon added. “I think he’ll be good matched up with Tyquan (Thornton) because those are two fast guys.”
Johnston tallied 60 receptions for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns over 14 games last season per Sports Reference.
The New England Patriots Met With Quentin Johnston Prior to the Draft
There is clearly interest between Johnston and New England. The wide receiver met with the Patriots and described the meeting as exciting to NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry.
“Oh yeah. It was very fun and exciting,” Johnston said. “I walked in and obviously everybody was happy to see me. But I mean overall, the meeting went smoothly. We had a good conversation. I felt pretty confident going out of that meeting.”
Standing at six feet three inches, Johnston’s physical ability will have teams interested in selecting him according to NFL Draft expert Lance Zierlein.
“Johnston is a long-striding vertical threat who can open up and separate when allowed to keep his feet moving in space,” Zierlein stated. “His elevation and catch radius create an expansive target area down the field, but his overall success rate on contested catches is way lower than it should be for a receiver of his size. Johnston needs a specific route tree, but will improve in that area at the next level. He will benefit from a more accurate deep-ball quarterback, but still feels more like a good WR2 than a high-volume WR1.”
Draft Experts Believe Quentin Johnston Could Fall In the 2023 NFL Draft
While Judon wants the Patriots to select Johnston in the first round, some draft experts believe that the wide receiver could fall into Day 2. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. left him out of the first round in his latest mock draft. Kiper believes that the Arizona Cardinals could select Johnston with the 34th overall pick to potentially replace DeAndre Hopkins if he is traded away.
“He can make contested catches and break tackles after he pulls down the ball,” Kiper stated. “He wasn’t asked to run every route in college so he’ll have a learning curve, but he should make an instant impact inside the 20-yard line.”
Still, CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell reported that Johnston “did receive feedback from the league that he is still projected to be a first-round pick.”
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Patriots Star Speaks Out About Potential 2023 1st-Round Selection