Penn State tight end Theo Johnson arrived at the NFL combine this week as a hot commodity, already formally meeting with six teams and the media ahead of Friday’s workout for tight ends.

Talking to the media Thursday, Johnson spoke about the Penn State tight end room that included 2023 second-round pick, and now Jacksonville Jaguars tight end, Brenton Strange, himself, and Tyler Warren (who is set to come back for a fifth season at Penn State in 2024).

According to Johnson, “Penn State tight ends aren’t very sexy” because of the lack of flashy stats or big numbers, but Nittany Lions tight ends do the “gritty” stuff that NFL teams look for.

Johnson noted that with the depth that the Lions had in the tight end room, Penn State’s tight ends play a selfless “team” game, doing whatever it takes to win despite not getting as many targets as other tight ends around the country. 

“People like to doubt Penn State tight ends until it comes to this pre-draft process,” Johnson told reporters. “But real football players know that Penn State produces some of the best tight ends.”

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During the interview, Johnson also spoke about talking through the pre-draft process with former PSU tight end Pat Freiermuth, who was a second round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL draft.

Johnson revealed that Freiermuth assured Johnson that Penn State prepares its tight ends well for the draft process and appreciated Freiermuth’s mentoring of him as a young player at Penn State. Johnson also mentioned that he committed to Penn State because of the program’s legacy at tight end where he knew he would be pushed by other tight ends in the room.

Ahead of this week’s combine, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller called Theo Johnson a player whose “stock is on the rise” who could be the “third tight end drafted” in April’s NFL draft. Johnson, at 6-foot-6 inches, 260 pounds, could solidify himself as one of the top tight ends in this year’s draft class with a stellar combine this week.

In 2023, Johnson tied with fellow tight end Tyler Warren for the Penn State lead in receiving touchdowns with seven (second best among tight ends in the country) and racked up 341 yards on 34 catches. In his career in Happy Valley, Johnson averaged over 12 yards per catch, with 12 total touchdowns (3^rd most in a career among Penn State tight ends).

With the hype surrounding Johnson this week at the combine, Johnson has formally met with the Texans, Jaguars, Raiders, 49ers, Chiefs, Commanders, and Eagles. Johnson also said he informally met with the Broncos. At the Senior Bowl where Johnson began to see his NFL draft stock rise, Johnson worked under Denver’s quality control coach Logan Kilgore, adding it would be very fortunate to get the opportunity to play in Denver.

If all goes well at the combine this week, Johnson could become the fourth tight end to be selected in the first two rounds under head coach James Franklin, joining Mike Geisicki (2^nd round pick 2018), Pat Freiermuth (2^nd round pick 2021), and Brenton Strange (2nd round pick 2023). 

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