Every player who enters the NFL eventually has a moment where they realize it’s not the same game as it was in college. Players are bigger, stronger and faster, and at some point that realization will set in. For Diontae Johnson, it came in Week 11 of 2019, his rookie season. During that game, he was knocked out by Cleveland Browns safety Damarious Randall, a hit for which Randall was ejected. Johnson said he doesn’t remember anything that happened after the hit, and he told Arthur Moats that it helped him realize he had to do a better job not getting tackled.
“That when I realized they really hit now. I gotta get down,” Johnson said on The Arthur Moats Experience.
The hit led to the only scoring drive for the Pittsburgh offense in a 21-7 loss, and it’s a play that was part of a physical game that ended in a brawl, leading to Browns DE Myles Garrett swinging a helmet at Steelers QB Mason Rudolph. That Randall hit is overlooked now in the scheme of the game, but it was definitely a play that sparked some more physicality between the two teams.
Johnson had two receptions for 17 yards before exiting with an injury, and that rookie season he excelled as a punt returner in addition to being a quality receiver. He finished that season with 59 receptions for 680 yards and five touchdowns while returning 20 punts for 248 yards and a touchdown. He was a second-team All-Pro as a return man, and since then he’s turned himself into one of the better receivers in the NFL.
Johnson isn’t a huge guy at just 5-10 and 183 pounds. It’s smart for him to try to look to avoid contact when possible so he doesn’t get laid out like he did by Randall. While Randall’s hit was illegal, there are plenty of bigger defenders who could lay quite the legal hit on Johnson. Obviously, the NFL is a violent game and contact is usually embraced. But for guys like Johnson, just going down or getting out of bounds is never going to be frowned upon to keep them upright over the long haul.
Johnson will look to continue his successful career with a strong finish to the 2023 season. He missed four games with a hamstring injury but returned in Week Seven and had five receptions for 79 yards against the Los Angeles Rams. He did miss practice with a hamstring injury on Thursday, but the hope is the Steelers were just being cautious. Johnson has the potential to help this Steelers offense turn around, and hopefully, he continues to find ways to avoid getting knocked out.
Watch the full interview below:
