Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson was the most recent guest on the Steel Here podcast with Jersey Jerry and Kevin Adams, and Johnson seems to be a big fan of working with CB Patrick Peterson. Signed as a free agent this offseason, Peterson is a two-time All Pro who was signed to help lead Pittsburgh’s cornerback room. While there are questions about how much he has left in the tank at 33 years old, Johnson said he’s “still got it.”
“Pat Pete, he still has it. I love playing against Pat Pete ‘cause he gonna make me work. A lot of times I tried to do certain stuff against him, but he’s already seen it so many times so he plays his technique so well. He may not be as fast as he used to, but he plays his technique. He’s gonna be a little more patient than he used to be or whatnot,” Johnson told the show, which can be seen here. “So me going up against him allows me to get in my bag a little more to really know what to do with him ‘cause I can’t play with him too much or he’s going to maybe throw me off my route or throw the timer off.”
It makes sense that Peterson is relying on his technique and his IQ more than his speed. It’s not realistic to expect him to be as fast or quick as he once was. Coming out of LSU, Johnson ran a 4.34 40-yard dash, so even though his speed may have dipped, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s slow.
His IQ is up there with the best in the game, one of the reasons Pittsburgh brought him in this offseason. Not only is a high-level player on the field, but off the field he can be a great mentor in the cornerback room and for guys across the roster. As Johnson said, that savviness and ability can also make the receivers he goes up against in practice better. He’s seen pretty much anything that a wide receiver can do, so for Johnson, it makes him work on more route-running skills and ways to beat him, or get in his bag, as he put it.
Johnson is one of the better route runners in the game, a technician who found himself as the most open receiver in the NFL last year, per ESPN analytics. It’s meaningful that Peterson is able to disrupt his flow and knock him off his route or disrupt the ever-essential timing between quarterback and receiver.
Those are the types of things the Steelers are looking to see out of him this season. He’s not going to win on his speed or athleticism, but his IQ puts him over the top. He has to be able to win with technique to be the cornerback Pittsburgh wants and needs him to be, and coming from Johnson, someone he’s frequently matched up on in practice, it’s encouraging to hear that’s been the case.
Watch the full episode below:
