Ahead of the Reese's Senior Bowl, a dozen former Ducks flew to Mobile, AL to partake in pregame practices and drills, as well as receiving official measurements for the height, weight, hand size, and wingspan.
Former Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson has always been on the smaller end for a wideout hoping to play at the next level but when it was reported that he weighed in at just 156 pounds and with hands well under nine inches long, even more questions were raised about his viability in the NFL.
This is the first *bad* Senior Bowl measurement I've seen, 156 lbs is just unacceptable for the NFL imo. On top of really small hands for Tez Johnson https://t.co/CAG8Q42PCg
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) January 27, 2025
However, as soon as on-field drills began, the country got to see exactly what makes Johnson such a special player. While running routes, Johnson's speed and shiftiness became readily apparent as he evaded defenders and was deemed "unguardable."
Tez Johnson has reportedly been “unguardable” and the best WR at the Senior Bowl so far.
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) January 28, 2025
Johnson has reportedly been cooking DB’s in 1-on-1’s and has been getting open consistently during team periods.
Many NFL scouts reportedly believed Johnson’s game to be a “mix” of Ladd… pic.twitter.com/y08WCjaHF9
After transferring to Oregon from Troy, Johnson immediately became a star for the Ducks' offense, and his time spent in Eugene clearly paid off as he continued to excel during on-field drills at the Senior Bowl.
Tez Johnson stats for the Oregon Ducks
- 169 receptions
- 2,080 receiving yards
- 20 receiving touchdowns
- 36 kickoff/punt returns
- 345 return yards
- 2 fair catches
- 1 touchdown return
In videos shared by reporters and scouts at the Senior Bowl, Johnson can be seen leaving star cornerbacks, like former Florida State star Azareye’h Thomas, in the dust. Thomas, who was a three-year player for the FSU Seminoles, is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
So, yes, Johnson is below the ideal size for an NFL wide receiver but size only matters so much when defenders can't stay close enough to the wideout to actually make a play at the ball.