2023 NFL Draft: Potential top WR prospect Quentin Johnston hoping to surprise folks at the Combine

On-field testing will be conducted with the wide receiver group on Saturday. TCU’s Quentin Johnston (6-foot-4, 215) is hoping to assert himself as the draft’s top wide receiver.

“Hopefully with some of my testing, I can surprise some people,” Johnston told CBSSports.com.

Johnston, who is CBSSports.com’s No. 9 overall prospect, has seen players at his position transition from college to the NFL with ease.

“I got all the confidence in myself, with the help of my trainers, and then everybody in my corner. I feel like everything that I have been through up to this point has fully prepared me for the next level…I am a fast-twitch guy to be a taller receiver, true outside receiver. Being that taller receiver, my yards after the catch and what I can do is top level.”

TCU finished the season with a 13-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff championship. The Horned Frogs were a part of a classic against Michigan in the semi-final. In that game, Johnston went for 163 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a great game on a big stage with the lights and everything. At a certain point in the game, it was like ‘alright, we have to show up. We have to show that we can withstand our mission. It was a shootout. It was a hard fought game but we dug deep and were able to win. It was an overall fun experience though. 

“With the help of the crowd and being aware of the stage and the platform, it kinda gives you an extra boost. Coming into the game, we were warming up and the seats were already filled. It just gave me and my team a little extra juice.”

TCU overcame injuries and early deficits almost on a weekly basis to reach that point in the season. They were taken as far as quarterback Max Duggan was capable of taking them. Johnston provided some insight into the No. 8 ranked quarterback prospect’s leadership style.

“It was at the start of the season, the [Oklahoma] game, just the way that he came out and played as if it were his last game. He kinda gave us a boost, like moving forward into the rest of the season, just some of the stuff that he said pre-game, during halftime and then his performance spoke for itself,” Johnston explained.

“The only game that would really top that is the Big XII championship game against Kansas State. Max wasn’t 100%. He was tired, visibly tired. After he scored one of the touchdowns, we ran up to him to celebrate and he was just gasping for air, telling us to watch out. Coming back next drive, he was completing passes, still continuing to run the ball, that alone kinda puts everybody else on notice like makes us take a step back and respect him that much more.”

In an extended interview, the wide receiver talks about the strengths of his teammate, cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, a creative answer to the ‘cat or dog’ question, and more.

Johnston acknowledged that he likes to study players like Davante Adams to refine his own skill set. He recorded 60 receptions for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns in his final season for the Horned Frogs. The wide receivers take the field Saturday for on-field drills.

The 2023 NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri.