CANADIAN TIGHT END JOHNSON HAS GIANT OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN NFL
WINDSOR NATIVE HEADED TO NEW YORK AFTER BEING DRAFTED IN THE FOURTNHD ROUND
It didn’t happen when Canadian Theo Johnson thought it would but he likes where he landed. The New York Giants selected the Penn State tight end in the fourth round (No. 107 overall) of the NFL draft Saturday. Johnson had been projected as a possible second-day selection.
“(That) wasn’t in the cards for me but I think I got picked exactly when I was supposed to and exactly where I was supposed to,” Johnson said in New York after his selection. “Went to school and worked with Christian Daboll (Giants head coach Brian Daboll’s son) when he was at Penn State.
“So pretty early on, they showed a lot of interest and it was clear that this was definitely a potential landing spot for me.”
Johnson was the second Canadian off the board. Isaiah Adams of Ajax, Ont., an offensive lineman at Illinois, was taken in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday
The Detroit Lions also took UBC tackle Giovanni Manu in the fourth round (No. 126 overall). Manu was born in Tonga and attended high school in Pitt Meadows, B.C.
And with the final pick of the fifth round (No. 176 overall), the New York Jets selected cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers, the CFL’S top rookie last season who played with the Toronto Argonauts. Then in the sixth (194th overall), the Cincinnati Bengals picked Arizona tight end Tanner Mclachlan, of Lethbridge, Alta.,
Last year, a record five Canadians were drafted.
Following the draft, UBC tackle Theo Benedet, the North Vancouver, B.C., native who was Canadian university
football’s top lineman the last two years, signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. Also, Toronto’s Kyle Hergel of Toronto, an offensive lineman at Boston College, signed with the New Orleans Saints, while Howard tackle Anim Dankwah, of Brampton, Ont., joined the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Johnson of Windsor, Ont., appeared in 45 games during four seasons at Penn State, recording 77 catches for 938 yards and 12 TDS.
After participating in the Senior Bowl, Johnson performed well at the NFL combine, posting a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, 39.5-inch vertical, 10-foot 5-inch broad jump — all second-best results — and a short-shuttle time of 4.19 seconds that topped the position group.
Johnson could fill a big need for the Giants with veteran tight end Darren Waller pondering retirement.
“He runs like a wide receiver,” said Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network’s draft guru. “I thought he aced the spring.
“From what we saw at the Senior Bowl, the all-star circuit, he was excellent there. Then the combine, pro day, you name it, that’s where he really upped his stock.”
Johnson said he hasn’t talked to the Giants regarding where he fits on the roster.
“What I do know is I’m going to come in and I’m going to work from Day 1 and whatever role I earn will be one that I earned,” he said. “I’m going to do my very best to show everybody in the building that I deserve to be taken seriously.
“I’m definitely capable of being a tight end you can’t take off the field with all the attributes that I have and I’m going to work for that.”
The towering 6-foot-8, 350-pound Manu and highly touted teammate Theo Benedet anchored a UBC offensive line that allowed 15 sacks and helped the offence average 6.8 yards per rush.
The Thunderbirds reached the Vanier Cup last year, dropping a 16-9 decision to the Montreal Carabins. Still, it was UBC’S first appearance in the Canadian university football championship game since 2015.
Manu became the first UBC player to be taken in the NFL draft.
The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Mclachlan enjoyed a record-setting tenure at Arizona, surpassing Rob Gronkowski for most career receptions by a tight end (79). He recorded 45 catches for 528 yards and four TDS in 13 games last season to earn All-pac 12 honourable mention. Mclachlan will join sophomore running back Chase Brown, of London, Ont., on Cincinnati’s roster.