The Seattle Seahawks are just a month away from the NFL Draft, which means it’s time for the return of the Brock Hurdannual draft profiles.
Huard: The common theme of the Seahawks’ defensive additions
Hurd, a FOX college football analyst and former NFL quarterback, will run down a list of prospects he’d like to see in a Seahawks uniform in 2024 every day at 9 a.m. on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. It all started Monday with No. 20 on the list: Penn State tight end Theo Johnson.
Here’s what Brock had to say about Johnson.
Hurd as a potential draft target for the Seattle Seahawks is Theo Johnson
“He’s a 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end from Penn State University. Penn State fielded a lot of tight ends. Penn State dudes come into this league pretty well equipped, pretty well trained. I was looking at my Penn State board, I had them at the end of the season (on FOX) and I was on the field like, ‘That’s a creature.’ It’s a creature. It’s a difference maker. This is an NFL dude. And this dude’s body is every bit the shape and form of an NFL tight end.
“I mentioned 6-6, 260. He has 33-inch arms, but most importantly, he ran a 4.57 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) and jumped almost 40 inches at the combine. That’s why he was a five-star recruit out of high school. He was among the top 75 recruits in America at every position. He was an absolute man and everyone in the country wanted him out of high school. And while Penn State was average at quarterback — it’s not like he put up prolific numbers — the dude was a rock.
“The other thing I like about Theo Johnson is his short shuttle – it’s five yards one way, then you sprint 10 yards the other way and come back. So you’re just testing that quickness on a short area. He ran it in 4.19 seconds. This is a receiver. That’s off the charts for a big guy.
Beyond talent
“Penn State was a program in my years, with (head coach) James Franklin and his assistants that would sit there and give you time — you would get to know their prospects. And on my board watching it, it came from teammates, “Who are your vocal leaders? When we have a sky camera flying around that can pick up sound, who are we going to hear?” There was no hesitation. The vocal leader of this Penn State team last year was Theo Johnson. For a tight end, that’s not easy and it’s not common. It’s usually a quarterback, it’s usually an eccentric, fun running back, maybe it’s a center, maybe it’s those different guys. Usually not a tight end. That resonated with me.”
Seahawks race for Johnson
“I’ve only seen him a few times. I don’t know him as well as some of these other prospects that we’ll get to. But you want traits? Check it out. Want a vocal leader? Check it out. Do you want to come in and play a position of need and be Noah Fant-esque like that with those traits? This is his mirror. I mean, Noah Fant was drafted in the first round by Iowa, another proud tight end program, because his qualities are off the charts. This guy is probably going to be a middle position, but those traits are unique, they’re different, and I like tight ends that can really, really go.”
Listen to Brock Huward’s complete Seattle Seahawks draft profile of Penn State tight end Theo Johnson on the podcast at this link or in the video or audio player at the top of this post.
More Seattle Seahawks draft coverage
• GM John Schneider on whether Sam Howell influenced the Seahawks in the NFL Draft
• Huard: What recent signing could be a signal for the Seahawks in the draft
• Growth: What we learned about the Seahawks from draft experts
• Lefko: Seahawks free agency points clear direction with 1st-round pick
• Seattle Seahawks: UW’s Fautanu remains popular at 16
