'16 TN WR Nate Johnson (Michigan Signee)

[drake29]

If ND gets this guy AND DRob, I can only assume that BK is going to the air-raid.

(I made this joke last year, but it applies even more this year. That would give ND 8 receivers in the last two classes).

But they still have to replace Fuller, Carlisle, and Brown. Also account for Procise leaving and Brent moving to RB....That's 5 guys that were receivers before the last class signed that no longer play the position. Then there's the speculation that Claypool may end up on defense.

 

[Irishman77]

Anyone got his SPARQ #'s? Moves like Fuller with hands...

Would be a great compliment to Claypool and McKinley.

Add DROB and probably the best WR haul I have seen in my years.

Great news if we get him , but I rather run a bama offense than a Oregon offense...

 

[arrowryan]

He seems to do very well at beating the db at the line of scrimmage. Reminds me a lot of TJ Jones

 

[NDdomer2]

If ND gets this guy AND DRob, I can only assume that BK is going to the air-raid.

(I made this joke last year, but it applies even more this year. That would give ND 8 receivers in the last two classes).

gotta think this is make or break seasons for a couple offensive guys (Justin Brent, Corey Homes).

Add in Guyton, Fuller, Brown, Carlisle, CJ all departing.

We can afford two more WR/ATH types on top of an already nice offensive haul (mckinley, claypool, stepherson, McIntosh), imo.

I don't know if it equates to air raid or not. The more we are able to spread the field the bigger our running lanes should be, in theory at least.

 

[IrishLion]

gotta think this is make or break seasons for a couple offensive guys (Justin Brent, Corey Homes).

Add in Guyton, Fuller, Brown, Carlisle, CJ all departing.

We can afford two more WR/ATH types on top of an already nice offensive haul (mckinley, claypool, stepherson, McIntosh), imo.

I don't know if it equates to air raid or not. The more we are able to spread the field the bigger our running lanes should be, in theory at least.

Yeah I don't actually think we are going to the air-raid haha. I was trying to comment on the huge numbers we've added to the WR position in the past two classes. At first, it seems surprising, but when you factor in the departures and the nature of several players, it's needed.

 

[Henges24]

If ND gets this guy AND DRob, I can only assume that BK is going to the air-raid.

(I made this joke last year, but it applies even more this year. That would give ND 8 receivers in the last two classes).

gotta think this is make or break seasons for a couple offensive guys (Justin Brent, Corey Homes).

Add in Guyton, Fuller, Brown, Carlisle, CJ all departing.

We can afford two more WR/ATH types on top of an already nice offensive haul (mckinley, claypool, stepherson, McIntosh), imo.

I don't know if it equates to air raid or not. The more we are able to spread the field the bigger our running lanes should be, in theory at least.

Haven't been keeping tabs on the 17' class yet but are we in the race for any top WR prospects? If ND gets DRob and Johnson do you think we take a WR in the next class or at least 1-2? Have to think ND would concentrate more on other positions like the DL.

 

[IrishLion]

Haven't been keeping tabs on the 17' class yet but are we in the race for any top WR prospects? If ND gets DRob and Johnson do you think we take a WR in the next class or at least 1-2? Have to think ND would concentrate more on other positions like the DL.

I think they'll try to take 2, just because you need to stagger the classes. You can't risk a class of 0/1 WR's when you run the spread, even if you only use 5 WR's per year.

 

[greyhammer90]

Just watched his film, not extremely fast but his route running looks great for a high school WR. He also looks strong and isn't the type of WR who goes down at first contact. I hate receivers who think football is a game of tag and go down when someone catches them almost automatically.

Given his post touchdown celebrations he also looks like he's a bit of a jerk. I mean that in a good way. He definitely likes to score and likes to let the DB know he got beat.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

Just watched his film, not extremely fast but his route running looks great for a high school WR. He also looks strong and isn't the type of WR who goes down at first contact. I hate receivers who think football is a game of tag and go down when someone catches them almost automatically.

Given his post touchdown celebrations he also looks like he's a bit of a jerk. I mean that in a good way. He definitely likes to score and likes to let the DB know he got beat.

Yeah I loved that. Someone compared him to Golden Tate earlier. This part of his game reminds me of Tate too

 

[dublinirish]

Yeah I loved that. Someone compared him to Golden Tate earlier. This part of his game reminds me of Tate too

Mike Frank on Power Hour made the Golden comparison this year too, how he had an extra gear when the ball was in the air

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Mike Frank on Power Hour made the Golden comparison this year too, how he had an extra gear when the ball was in the air

It's weird because when I think of Tate, I think of a shifty, quick accelerating WR with vicegrip hands.

 

[TomHaverford]

Yeah I loved that. Someone compared him to Golden Tate earlier. This part of his game reminds me of Tate too

that's actually who he reminded me of too, just doesn't have that 4.4 speed of Tate.

 

[Domina Nostra]

It's weird because when I think of Tate, I think of a shifty, quick accelerating WR with vicegrip hands.

The thing that separated Tate was functional strength. He was not very big, but he had just perfect balance and was almost always standing when the whistle blew. His vicegrip hands (as you said) made him awesome with jump balls.

What Tate did not have was passion. He was competititve when he got pushed by great players, but he did not live or die football 24/7 like some other guys.

 

[drake29]

]Anyone got his SPARQ #'s?[/B] Moves like Fuller with hands...

Would be a great compliment to Claypool and McKinley.

Add DROB and probably the best WR haul I have seen in my years.

Great news if we get him , but I rather run a bama offense than a Oregon offense...

Johnson posted a 4.60 electronic time at a SPARQ event (presumably the Opening regional), which gets zero FAKEs; that's a good, not-quite-elite time for a high school slot. Johnson posted a strong 111.39 overall SPARQ score, one bolstered by a very impressive 39-inch vertical.

 

[BobbyMac]

The thing that separated Tate was functional strength. He was not very big, but he had just perfect balance and was almost always standing when the whistle blew. His vicegrip hands (as you said) made him awesome with jump balls.

Give me every Golden Tate or Steve Smith that comes out of high school please.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Anyone got his SPARQ #'s? Moves like Fuller with hands...

Would be a great compliment to Claypool and McKinley.

Add DROB and probably the best WR haul I have seen in my years.

Great news if we get him , but I rather run a bama offense than a Oregon offense...

Moves like Fuller?!?! As in, they both use their legs to get somewhere? I don't think this guy has anywhere close to Fuller's speed.

Does anyone know what his shuttle times were? I'm always most interested in that metric, I think it tells you more about acceleration.

 

[BobbyMac]

I checked them out on Maxpreps. They were the undefeated big school champ and #31 on the national ranking That QB had incredible numbers in just 11 games (missed 4). Thompson had 1700+ yds this year and 27 TD's

Here's the link to Maxpreps.

Player Stats - Independence Eagles Football (Thompson's Station, TN)

His Sparq score was 111.39. JMc's was 117 for comparison.

40 = 4.60
shuttle = 4.03 - very nice
vert = 39" - very nice
power ball = 35'


.

Anyone got his SPARQ #'s? Moves like Fuller with hands...

Would be a great compliment to Claypool and McKinley.

Add DROB and probably the best WR haul I have seen in my years.

Great news if we get him , but I rather run a bama offense than a Oregon offense...

Here it is.

 

[drake29]

Give me every Golden Tate or Steve Smith that comes out of high school please.

Christian Kirk seems like the most recent - kid is a beast.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Moves like Fuller?!?! As in, they both use their legs to get somewhere? I don't think this guy has anywhere close to Fuller's speed.

Does anyone know what his shuttle times were? I'm always most interested in that metric, I think it tells you more about acceleration.

To be fair, Fuller was not Fuller coming out of high school either. He was faster than this, but no one was talking about getting one of the fastest kids in college football.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I want to get back to that extra gear, versus a 4.6 at the opening.

Most kids time slower at the opening. I believe there are several good reasons :
It is a crammed event, there is not time for good muscle recovery.

• Most kids aren't taught how to run the forty, and with the way The Opening times it, they really need to be. This can be 0.1 or 0.15 second differential all by itself.
• Most high school kids not only haven't had adequate speed training, the weight training for their legs is far behind a mediocre college program, and this is all about explosiveness!

If you watch this kid, he seems to be able to run under a lot of balls, even some overthrown. And he looks like he leaves defenders behind going down field. That is Mike Frank's point, in my understanding.

I think this kid has Will Fuller like room for improvement in his speed, and as someone said better hands, and a stronger frame. Not saying it's going to happen, but I would make sure I got this kid!

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

To be fair, Fuller was not Fuller coming out of high school either. He was faster than this, but no one was talking about getting one of the fastest kids in college football.

That is fair but it's probably also fair to not expect anyone to make the jump like Fuller did. He was close to the 172 best WR on ESPN.

Most players don't find an additional gear in college like that. Usually, what you see on tape is what you are going to get (of course you can train them/polish their game). On the rare occasion, you have a Fuller situation.

 

[BobbyMac]

Christian Kirk seems like the most recent - kid is a beast.

Production wise yes. Actually he's WAY out in front of either of them for his first year out of HS but he went to my local HS and I'll report he's not them personality wise. Those two are on another level of the swagometer.

 

[Irish#1]

I want to get back to that extra gear, versus a 4.6 at the opening.

Most kids time slower at the opening. I believe there are several good reasons :
It is a crammed event, there is not time for good muscle recovery.

• Most kids aren't taught how to run the forty, and with the way The Opening times it, they really need to be. This can be 0.1 or 0.15 second differential all by itself.
• Most high school kids not only haven't had adequate speed training, the weight training for their legs is far behind a mediocre college program, and this is all about explosiveness!

If you watch this kid, he seems to be able to run under a lot of balls, even some overthrown. And he looks like he leaves defenders behind going down field. That is Mike Frank's point, in my understanding.

I think this kid has Will Fuller like room for improvement in his speed, and as someone said better hands, and a stronger frame. Not saying it's going to happen, but I would make sure I got this kid!

That is fair but it's probably also fair to not expect anyone to make the jump like Fuller did. He was close to the 172 best WR on ESPN.

Most players don't find an additional gear in college like that. Usually, what you see on tape is what you are going to get (of course you can train them/polish their game). On the rare occasion, you have a Fuller situation.

He's not reached his peak physically. He's going to get faster over the next few years simply by getting older. The training in college will help enhance it.

Shuttle times are a better indicator of how quick someone can come out of their breaks.

 

[rtrn2glory]

just watched the highlight film. pretty impressive to say the least.

love how he catches the ball away from his body. seems very polished as a route runner and could come in and help on punts and kickoffs right away as a returner or in coverage.

i'll be honest as impressive as he was on the tape on offense a few minutes in I'm thinking.....man this kid looks like he'd be a good corner or nickel with as physical as he seems to be and not to mention willing to take the contact.

for a week or so I was kind of meh on him truly, but now I will be disappointed if we don't land him.

 

[Domina Nostra]

That is fair but it's probably also fair to not expect anyone to make the jump like Fuller did. He was close to the 172 best WR on ESPN.

Most players don't find an additional gear in college like that. Usually, what you see on tape is what you are going to get (of course you can train them/polish their game). On the rare occasion, you have a Fuller situation.

I agree, although the kids most likely to speed up are the super-skinny ones who weren't shaving at 12. They just aren't developed enough in highschool to really hit the weights. Getting to 19 is a big deal for those kids.

My beef is with people who see a 4.6 time and conclude: slow.

First, off, 4.6 is fast. 4.6 is only slow in comparison with all the fake 4.5s. There are a ton of guys playing in the pros who run 4.6 40s (especially when you are talking about how they would have timed at 17), and there are a ton of guys who get drafted running 4.4s who stink and never play.

Second, one 40 time does not tell me what I want to know. Did he have a bad day, does he know how to run it?

Third, what other attributes does he have? If he can juke his own shaddow like Theo Riddick, 4,6 is great. If he's big like Chase Claypool, 4.6 would be great. If he is lightening quick, 4.6 is great.

But if he is skinny and not that shifty--one dimensional--maybe 4.6 isn't as great.

 

[drake29]

He's not reached his peak physically. He's going to get faster over the next few years simply by getting older. The training in college will help enhance it.

Shuttle times are a better indicator of how quick someone can come out of their breaks.

In theory that's correct - until he adds 15 - 20 lbs of muscle and doesn't gain any speed or actually slows down a tick. It's impossible to know until it happens. Does he 'get after it' in the weight room? Does his body allow him to retain the speed/quickness after adding mass? It works out for some, and for some it doesn't.

 

[Irish#1]

I agree, although the kids most likely to speed up are the super-skinny ones who weren't shaving at 12. They just aren't developed enough in highschool to really hit the weights. Getting to 19 is a big deal for those kids.

My beef is with people who see a 4.6 time and conclude: slow.

First, off, 4.6 is fast. 4.6 is only slow in comparison with all the fake 4.5s. There are a ton of guys playing in the pros who run 4.6 40s (especially when you are talking about how they would have timed at 17), and there are a ton of guys who get drafted running 4.4s who stink and never play.

Second, one 40 time does not tell me what I want to know. Did he have a bad day, does he know how to run it?

Third, what other attributes does he have? If he can juke his own shaddow like Theo Riddick, 4,6 is great. If he's big like Chase Claypool, 4.6 would be great. If he is lightening quick, 4.6 is great.

But if he is skinny and not that shifty--one dimensional--maybe 4.6 isn't as great.

Agree. How does his speed translate to the field? GA3 is a good example. If he couldn't run straight ahead he slowed down considerably.

In theory that's correct - until he adds 15 - 20 lbs of muscle and doesn't gain any speed or actually slows down a tick. It's impossible to know until it happens. Does he 'get after it' in the weight room? Does his body allow him to retain the speed/quickness after adding mass? It works out for some, and for some it doesn't.

Not just theory, it's a fact. Just the maturation alone will equate to increased speed, but increasing muscle mass will as well. I agree if they put on too much weight it can slow them down, but that's where the S&C coach comes into play.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Not just theory, it's a fact. Just the maturation alone will equate to increased speed, but increasing muscle mass will as well. I agree if they put on too much weight it can slow them down, but that's where the S&C coach comes into play.

And with little WRs, you aren't really trying to bulk them up a lot, just make them stronger.

 

[drake29]

Agree. How does his speed translate to the field? GA3 is a good example. If he couldn't run straight ahead he slowed down considerably.



Not just theory, it's a fact. Just the maturation alone will equate to increased speed, but increasing muscle mass will as well. I agree if they put on too much weight it can slow them down, but that's where the S&C coach comes into play.

Saying maturation will lead to increased speed seems a little silly to me. It's not that simple - otherwise I'd be a much faster person than when I was in college which is not th case. Strength, flexibility, diet, form running technique, and commitment will equate to increased speed. Our bodies are constantly going through changes as we age. Not all for the better and not all that mean we will be faster or more athletic.

 

[Luckylucci]

Saying maturation will lead to increased speed seems a little silly to me. It's not that simple - otherwise I'd be a much faster person than when I was in college which is not th case. Strength, flexibility, diet, form running technique, and commitment will equate to increased speed. Our bodies are constantly going through changes as we age. Not all for the better and not all that mean we will be faster or more athletic.

Really? You don't think that's common sense. I think Irish#1 is speaking from a place where its common sense that this kid gets high level training for the next few years in which case, what he said is very true. A majority of individuals have not physically matured at 17-18 years of age. Therefore, its easy to assume that one will get bigger, stronger, and faster as they "mature"