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Dynasty Prospect Profile: KeeSean Johnson

By Jared Smola | Updated on Thu, 18 Apr 2024 . 1:27 PM EDT

KeeSean Johnson, WR, Fresno State

Height: 6’1

Weight: 201

Age: 22.5

Combine results:

(percentile rank among all WRs at the Combine since 1999, courtesy of mockdraftable.com):

40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds (17th)

Vertical: 30” (4th)

Broad: 117” (28th)

3-cone: 7.28 seconds (7th)

20-yard shuttle: 4.23 seconds (46th)

College career:

Johnson compiled 275 receptions, 3,463 receiving yards and 24 TDs across 4 college seasons. The catches and yards both stand as school records. And no WR in this draft class has more career grabs.

After ranking 2nd on the Bulldogs in catches and 3rd in receiving yards as a redshirt freshman, Johnson led the squad in all major receiving categories in each of his final 3 seasons. He eclipsed 1,000 yards for the 1st time in 2017, accounting for a big 30.4% of the team’s total. And he scored 42.1% of the receiving TDs.

Johnson posted strong market shares again this past year: 31.6% of the catches, 35.8% of the yards and 30.8% of the TDs. Those marks rank 5th, 9th and 24th among the 48 WRs invited to this year’s Combine. Only 3 WRs in the country totaled more catches. And only 5 racked up more receiving yards.

Johnson was a steady producer, tallying 85+ yards in 10 of 14 games and 100+ in 6 different contests. He hauled in 5+ balls in every game but 1, with 8+ in 6 games.

Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson’s 3.05 yards per route run ranked 11th among all draft-eligible WRs.

Film study:

Courtesy of @WhatsOnDraftNFL

Games watched - Boise State (2017), Nevada, Toledo, Minnesota

I was hoping to be impressed by Johnson’s tape considering his strong production profile. I came away disappointed.

A lot of his production was manufactured by Fresno State’s scheme. He caught a bunch of quick hitters and did damage on well-executed screens. Give Johnson credit for understanding how to work off his blockers, but he’s not overly impressive in the open field.

Johnson’s best route is the curl. He does a nice job snapping out of his break and coming back to the football.

Outside of that, though, you don’t see him creating much separation. He lacks the quickness to dominate on short and intermediate routes and doesn’t have the speed to run by DBs.

Despite the lack of athleticism, Johnson does possess a nice catch radius. He has the hands and body control to snag the ball outside his frame. And he posted a rock-solid 6.9% drop rate in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.

Fantasy potential:

Johnson puts a big checkmark in the production box. He boasts big raw production for his career and 2018, strong market shares and nice efficiency.

But he disappointed at the Combine, registering a 27th percentile SPARQ score. And that lack of athleticism shows up on tape. Johnson struggles to separate from defenders, is just average in contested situations and doesn’t pick up much more than what’s blocked after the catch.

Johnson does have decent size and nice ball skills. And it’s worth noting that he was most productive in the slot last year, hauling in 25 of 30 targets (83.3%) for 557 yards (18.6 YPC) and 4 TDs.

His best shot as a pro is probably as a “big slot.” But without any elite traits, Johnson will need to find an ideal landing spot to be a fantasy asset.