Quentin Johnston, NFL Draft Wide Receiver Prospect

We continue this Zach Gelb show live in Kansas City right here on CBS Sports Radio. We're inside the P&G style lounge on behalf of Head & Shoulders and now joining us is a man that had a monster season and a monster career at TCU getting set to hear his name called tomorrow night in the NFL Draft and that of course is Quinnen Johnston. Quinnen appreciate the time, how are you? I'm doing good, yes sir. So what is this like for you? You've worked your entire life to get to this moment.

Get ready to hear your name called to the NFL Draft. We're now 24 hours away from this happening. How are you processing this right now? Honestly, still trying to take everything all in. It's been a long process. At the same time, I feel like it's been something that's, you know, like no other lot of people don't get to experience this, you know, chance and opportunity.

So I just take it one day at a time and, you know, like I said, I'm blessed. I got a chance to talk to your head football coach and Sonny Dykes and you guys had a wonderful season this past year at TCU that ended in the national championship game and when you guys were 5-0 he goes, I'm gonna be honest, I didn't expect this, like this was surprising. Just how do you kind of look back at that season because that's one that people are gonna remember for a very long time.

Yeah, nah, for sure. It was a so real season. We were picked second to last in the Big 12.

So if you pick second to last and nobody thinking about you going to the playoffs, let alone, you know, championship game. So it was fun. We had new coaches, you know, all the way around, except for a few. And then we had new strength and conditioning staff and then we had new players. So with that people's gonna be like, okay, new coaches, kind of good. You know, they'll be good, you know, the next few years. We just had to set our mind early that we were going to get it started, you know, quick, fast and early.

So, you know, that's what happened. And like you said, it turned out to be a good season for us. When did you say, okay, we're better than what people thought?

We really have a shot to make a serious run at this. Honestly, honestly, before the season, with the incorporation of our strength and conditioning head coach, Coach Kyle Cazati, he really brought something to us that we needed. We needed him. We felt like we had discipline in the past, but we really didn't realize how much discipline we actually needed. So with him, he came in, you know, got us right from day one.

And then we clicked. We did a lot of stuff off the field. They kind of sped that chemistry of our team up all together. But I feel like on the field, everything was there. We was always having fun.

It's great competition. And then off the field with different stuff like nutrition, extra stretch and extra massages, everything was just coming together. Quinnen Johnson here with us. So it's crazy how this story comes about because it wasn't even expected for Max to end up playing as much as he did. The next thing you know, he's in New York as a Heisman finalist. You guys are in the national championship game.

Your name is in this draft. Max's name is as well. We hear a lot more about you than Max.

So tell me a little bit about your quarterback and Max Duggan. Oh yeah, it's a dog for sure. Um, I mean, I mean, if, if there's any one word that can just try, uh, describe him whole is, is it's a dog. He has a dog mentality game in and game out.

You can see it. Um, uh, you know, games, he'll be dead tired, like on his knees. Like he'll score.

He like, like he pushes everybody off and like, I don't want you around me. I can't breathe right now, but next drive, what he do, he go out, put his head down, just keep fighting, keep fighting. Uh, like you said, he wasn't, he, he wasn't even starting this year, but you, you go to practice, you wouldn't, you wouldn't, you wouldn't see a look of disappointment on his face.

He'll just show up to work every day. And, you know, you know, when it was his time, he, you know, stepped up to the plate and, you know, obviously that's what happened this season. So, uh, yeah, very, very happy and very proud of him. Is there no doubt that you think he'll have success in the NFL?

Like we hear so much about Bryce young, CJ shroud, a list goes on and on Anthony Richardson will have his hands in hooker. You look at max and you think, okay, this guy could have a good career in the NFL. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Um, you know, like I said, he's, he's a dog, he's, he's very coachable, very mature as a person. So I feel like with that maturity as a person, his mindset is just going to carry him, you know, to, to where he wants to be in the league.

For sure. What are teams getting whoever selects you in the first round? If I'm a GM and I say, who is Quinnen Johnson? What am I getting as a football player? What do you say?

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Obviously a big frame six four, but I'm, I'm a, I'm a tall receiver that can create real separation at the, uh, at the start of the line and at the top of my route. Um, and then, and then my yards after the catch, I feel like it speaks for itself. I set a record, uh, in the big 12, um, for the, for the, uh, most yards after catching big 12 history, my freshman year and followed it up and did the same thing my sophomore year. So, uh, what I can do with the ball in my hands is very special. So I, uh, I feel like I could carry that into the NFL, the NFL draft process. It's great, but it also doesn't annoy me as well because we've been talking about you for a long time. And then you find out you don't even get invited into the green room. And that makes me think, all right, is he slipping? And I don't get how you would fall out of the first round.

How did you handle not getting that invite into the green room? Yeah. I mean, I mean, uh, I, I, I kind of look at it like this. I'm still, I'm still going to be in the NFL in some way, shape or form, no matter if I'm in the green room, no matter if I'm at home, no matter if I got to, you know, hear it here on the radio, like I'm like, I'm going. So, um, uh, I mean, like I still look at it as, as, as a blessing. Uh, my, my parents are very proud of me.

My people back home are very proud of me. So that's, so that's what I do it for. So I mean, like, I mean, that's cool to be there.

Like, obviously that's a once in a lifetime chance to, to walk across the stage, but at the same time, I get a chance to, you know, have all my family and friends back at the, uh, back at the house in Dallas and kind of, you know, just, you know, fellowship around them. So, uh, I didn't, I didn't really take it hard. I kind of just kept working, you know, move forward from it. Does it all provide a little extra motivation? Oh yeah, for sure.

Yeah, for sure. But I'm not going, but I'm not going to sit here and show that and be on social media and be like, man, this is what I think about this. This is how I feel.

I mean, cause at the end of the day, nobody cares. Um, uh, once I, once I get drafted to the team, uh, I'm gonna let my work speak for me. When do you think the earliest is that you could go? I know it's a crap shit. I know it's tough to predict, but based off conversations with teams Thursday night, how early do you think you believe your name being called? Oh yeah. You know, it's a lot of up and down.

A lot of talks, different people got different slides or different, um, you know, ideas of where people should go. Uh, but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if I was a first receiver pick. Um, so yeah, so that's how I think about that. Do you believe you're the best wide receiver in this draft class? Sure. Tell me why.

Yeah, for sure. Like I said before, big receiver, a big frame that can create real separation at the top of routes. Um, uh, with, with, with bigger and taller receivers, it's like, okay, he's just a deep threat.

Okay. Well, he's just good on the, you know, slant, but I could do, I could do all of that for real. And then, like I said, my yards after the catch, it's something that I feel like is unmatched right now, my size. I know with your position, a lot of it's dependent on who's throwing the football. Are there a few teams that excite you and who are those teams when you talk to them based on who their quarterbacks are? Um, I mean, there, there's a, I mean, there's a few, you know, the quarterbacks, you know, obviously, uh, you got, uh, you know, teams like Kansas city, uh, teams like Dallas and stuff like that. But at the same time, honestly, I'm excited to go to any team. And then, uh, you know, the team I go to, whatever quarterbacks that we're going to make it work for sure. Well, that'd be like getting drafted by the Cowboys.

Oh, that'd be amazing. First of all, that's my dad's, that's my dad's favorite team. He died hard football, uh, Dallas Cowboys fans since the time I was little, he had me on a peewee football team, caught the Cowboys, the temple Cowboys.

So yeah, he would, he would, he would be very excited for that as well as me. Quinnen Johnson here with us inside the PNG style lounge on behalf of Head and Shoulders to talk about them and the great work you're doing in just a second. And you also mentioned Kansas city. I know, I don't think you're going to fall at 31, but people keep on bringing up Kansas city. How about going into an environment like that? If they call your name on Thursday night. Oh yeah. That'd be amazing for sure. Um, you know, like obviously with the history they have, you know, I feel like, I feel like I'd be a good, um, uh, good incorporation to them if they, if they pick. All right. Tell me what you're doing today on PNG style lounge and also Head and Shoulders.

Yeah, for sure. Uh, you know, I come in, um, well, first of all, going to the field, I work, I work hard on the field. So, um, you know, coming off the field, I want something, uh, that's going to work just as hard as me, uh, hard as me for me. So, uh, yeah, I come in here, uh, to kind of get styled up, get my, get my hair and stuff right for the, for the draft, for the cameras and stuff tomorrow. So I came to use some, uh, Head and Shoulders. Growing up, we talked about the cowboy connection. Who were some players that you really gravitated towards and that you liked growing up as a kid?

Yeah. So, uh, growing up, I was kind of, I was, I kind of hit my growth spurt late. So I was, I was, I was looking at running backs and like slides.

So I'm like Marion Barber or Adrian Peterson, but as far as receivers, like I said, as the smaller receivers, uh, Deshaun Jackson, Tavon Austin, D Anthony Thomas, those type of guys, which I feel like attributes to, to, to my quickness and my looseness, uh, when I got the ball in my hands. Does this feel real yet that tomorrow you're going to know where you're going? Honestly, no. Um, I mean, I sit there and talk about it with my homeboys and stuff every day, but I don't, I don't really feel like it's going to hit me until I actually get to that moment.

Away from the field, off the field, who's Quinnen Johnson? Uh, for sure. A laid back, chill person that, you know, just likes to have a good time in terms of, you know, chillin' with my friends. I got the same, uh, group of friends.

I got a very small circle. We all know each other since it's like four or five, uh, came up with each other and we always, you know, you know, you know, do stuff to, to elevate each other, which I feel like makes our group that much stronger. But excuse me, besides that, you know, I'm a graphic designer. Um, uh, I do, I do like sports that is stuff, uh, kind of on the side.

Um, I'm, um, I'm a major in psychology, so kind of want to do something with that, you know, outside of football and then maybe after football branch off and do something with that for sure. Well, we appreciate the time. Good luck. Hopefully hear your name nice and early coming up tomorrow night. Appreciate it.