By Jared Villani
SteelerNation.com
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson made his presence known throughout his rookie campaign with his ability to make plays whenever he was on the field. Although his receiving stats didn't jump off the page, Johnson provided a much-needed boost on special teams after taking over as the team's primary punt returner.
It was clear the Steelers lacked a standout receiver with JuJu Smith-Schuster's injury woes last season, but Johnson was huge for Pittsburgh in the second half of the season. During Week 8's matchup with the Miami Dolphins, Johnson really began to make his presence known with five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson was heavily involved in the team's offense and accumulated 92 targets despite adapting to three different quarterbacks during his rookie season. Both Devlin "Duck" Hodges and Mason Rudolph looked for Johnson often as he continued to be the most reliable receiver down the stretch.
Diontae Johnson with the concentration ????
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/my2OY6dP9M
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 15, 2019
Diontae Johnson over the top for the 29-yard TD! @juiceup__3 #HereWeGo
????: #PITvsNYJ on CBS
????: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/csMF3GLW6Z pic.twitter.com/JvuHueQNyy
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2019
Throughout the year, Johnson flashed glimpses of being an all-around stud in the passing game with his over the top speed and catchability, to his laser focus in big moments. With JuJu presumably back at full health heading into the 2020 season, this could be a dangerous tandem with Ben Roethlisberger back at quarterback. There's no reason to believe Johnson won't continue to grow and develop into a Pro Bowl receiver like he plans to in the future.
Diontae Johnson is a rookie.
PFF loved him coming out because he doesn't look like it.
Look at this release+hand placement. Absolutely SAUCES T White, who is an elite cornerback pic.twitter.com/BQZVWdGFqj
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) December 16, 2019
