Quentin Johnston impresses at Pro Day ahead of meeting with Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to check out one of the best Pro Days in town at TCU on Thursday. Although running back Kendre Miller wasn’t able to participate as he continues injury recovery, one of the top receivers in this year’s draft, Horned Frogs star Quentin Johnston, put on a show for all in attendance.
Catching passes from Max Duggan, another prospect the Cowboys like, Johnston showed scouts why he’s a potential night one selection.
“I’m a 6-3, 6-4 receiver that’s able to create real separation at the top of my routes, in and out of my breaks and yards after catch is top tier,” Johnston said of what makes him elite. “I’ve set records in the Big 12 for most of my first and second year combined. I feel like [I’m a] big [target] when I’m at the top of my route and [in] the deep route, I’m real good as well.”
Johnston has met with the Titans, the Patriots and the Giants, which are three teams with higher first-round picks than Dallas at No 26 overall. The Cowboys haven’t had a meeting with the TCU standout yet but will soon, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys have made enough offseason moves that they could go after the “best available” with their first-round pick. If Johnston is off the board at 26, other first-round receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison could be on the table.
Johnston impresses with blazing 40-yard dash at Pro Day
Johnston dropped a couple of passes during drills on Thursday. Scouts also at one point asked him to re-do a drill, but he handled it like a professional would.
“That was the last drill we were doing,” Johnston said. “I can’t have all these people come out here and watch my last pass be a drop, kinda walk off and forget it. I was tired, that’s why I dropped the first two. No excuse for that.
“Came back and finished it clean. All the coaches come out here to see not only how perfect you catch the ball but how you respond to stuff like that. I feel like I did pretty good on that.”
The most impressive part of his performance on Thursday came at the 40-yard dash. Having opted out of the timed run at the NFL combine, Johnston had a ton of eyes on the stopwatch. He clocked an unofficial 4.50-second dash.
The Temple, Texas native showed off his speed this season for TCU on his way to 1,069 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
More on the 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.