It’s been a while since Oregon has had a legitimate NFL prospect at the tight end position. A couple of years ago, Jacob Breeland went undrafted but signed a contract after the process but even after racking up over 1,200 career receiving yards, he just didn’t turn enough heads.
Before Breeland, it was Pharaoah Brown who was a first-team All-Pac-12 tight end multiple times between 2012-16 and there were also guys like David Paulson and Cole Lyerla.
All of those guys had solid careers, but Oregon is far from known for having elite tight ends.
Could DJ Johnson help change that in 2021?
Oregon football needs DJ Johnson to step up
The former four-star defensive end was a top-100 recruit in the 2017 class and originally enrolled at Miami before transferring to Oregon after his freshman season. He sat out in 2018 and then played as a redshirt sophomore in 2019, he remained on the defensive side of the ball and recorded 14 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks in five games.
Making the move to tight end in 2020 was expected to be a huge transition and Johnson actually fared well in just a handful of games, catching 10 passes for 113 yards and three scores.
Johnson and Hunter Kampmoyer were the only tight ends to catch a pass last season and the latter is now gone while the Ducks bring in two four-star prospects at the position in the 2021 class. But Johnson is going to be the veteran of the group. He also has a strong 6-5, 258-pound frame which is a load for defenders to bring down.
He’s a big, athletic target and he could be a go-to guy for a new quarterback. Johnson has shown flashes of being one of the best tight ends in years, but he’s still very new at the position.
Being pushed by a reloaded room of tight ends is only going to make Johnson better but the sky seems to be the limit for the redshirt junior.