The next coach to rip his team’s latest draft pick will be the first. Every pick’s a good one at the time, right?
Something just felt different about the way Steelers receivers coach Darryl Drake spoke of former University of Toledo star Diontae Johnson. It was Drake who pushed the Steelers to take Johnson with the second pick of the third round. And it was Drake who spoke so passionately from the podium.
This was far beyond obligatory optimism. The quotes were eye-catching at the time. They are profound in retrospect, given that Drake tragically died at training camp.
His words were prophetic, too.
“I basically fell in love with [Johnson] after spending time with him and dining with him and talking to him and seeing his passion for the game, his passion for wanting to be great and his passion for his teammates," Drake said. "He’s the most natural catcher I’ve seen in a while.”
There was more.
“You know, I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and he was one of the best interviews and guys that I’ve been around.”
And this: “You’re going to love his smile and his personality and his style of play. He’s a guy Steeler Nation is going to be very, very excited about.”
Six months later, there is one NFL rookie with more catches than Johnson’s 25 — and that player (Washington’s Terry McLaurin, 28 catches) has played in one more game.
Drake’s impeccable legacy was secure before he met Johnson — but what a beautiful thing that Johnson will help carry it.
Couldn’t be in better hands. Significant people have been raving about Johnson since the minute he arrived.
“Not a prima donna bone in him,” quarterback Mason Rudolph said Thursday.
I sent an email to Johnson’s high school coach, Keith Chattin, at 3:59 p.m. Thursday, figuring he was on the practice field. He was. But he called me three minutes later, saying, “I’ll talk about Diontae any time. He’s like a son to me.”
Back in training camp, guard Ramon Foster did not hesitate when Missi Matthews of steelers.com asked which youngster had caught his eye.
“Diontae,” Foster said. “I’m drawn to that kid. … I think he’s going to be a special talent here.”
If there is such a thing as humble confidence, Johnson has it. After Monday's victory over the Miami Dolphins, a game he changed with a 45-yard touchdown catch, Johnson said, “I’ve shown I can make plays and contribute to the offense.”
To that, he added, “They couldn’t really cover us, in my opinion.”
Nine receivers were drafted before the 5-foot-10, 183-pound Johnson. His numbers — 25 catches, 296 yards, three touchdowns — rank with any. Now consider that he fell behind in the spring because of injury and has played mostly with backup quarterbacks.
Johnson seems poised to take off. He isn’t a track star, but Drake said on draft day that Johnson seemed faster in pads than shorts. He runs gorgeous routes, like the one where he beat Pro Bowl corner Xavien Howard deep in Steelers territory for a critical first down Monday. He is a technician who never met press coverage he didn’t welcome.
Johnson’s best catch Monday didn’t count. He was called for interference on Howard while making a ridiculous one-handed grab down the right sideline. There will be more of those.
Chattin, Johnson’s coach at Lennard (Fla.) High, remembers inheriting a player who thrived at quarterback, receiver and cornerback.
“Best lockdown corner we had,” Chattin said.
Decent quarterback?
“I mean, he could throw it 55 yards, but he was a run-first guy,” Chattin laughed. “He was always like, ‘Coach, they’re not open.’ ”
When a stud quarterback arrived, Chattin gave Johnson a choice: Stay at quarterback for one more year or move to receiver. Johnson moved. His crazy work ethic, combined with excellent hands and slippery moves (how about the Steelers give him some more return action?), made him unstoppable. Not that the bigger Florida schools were salivating.
“Florida said he was too small; Miami said he was too small,” Chattin recalled. “Everybody kept saying how small he was. I think Florida offered him at corner. I’m like, ‘This kid catches everything.’”
Chattin still talks to Johnson once a week. Earlier this season, Johnson spoke of being in awe of his surroundings.
“He was saying, ‘Coach, these are guys I played Madden with,’ ” Chattin said. “Or it was, ‘Coach, Richard Sherman ’s in front of me. This is unreal.’”
All I said was, “Now you’re one of them.”
And for this one, you can thank the late, great Darryl Drake.
First Published November 1, 2019, 2:04 p.m.
