2021 NFL Draft: Six sleeper wide receivers to watch
By John Blair
Cade Johnson, South Dakota State
A small school prospect to watch is South Dakota State’s, Cade Johnson. While Johnson might not be from a big school, he definitely has big-time production. Going into the 2020 college football season, no returning receiver in NCAA Division I has more total yards in the past two seasons. Over that two-year time span, he accounted for 139 receptions 2,554 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Johnson has also proven he can play against big-time competition. In 2019, he had one of the better games of his season when he averaged 15 yards a reception on six catches against Minnesota. He also had an outstanding Senior Bowl week, which helped earn him an invite to the NFL Combine.
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When looking at the skills Johnson brings to the NFL the first trait that sticks out is his ability to make yards after the catch. He averaged nearly 17 yards per catch in 2019, and a lot of these yards came from him turning a short catch into a long run. Another positive with him is he does a nice job of catching the ball in traffic, and overall does a great job of tracking the ball with his eyes.
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While I definitely think Johnson is someone who can make an NFL roster, I am not sure if he will get drafted. This is mainly due to his average measurables as he is only 5-foot-10 180 pounds. He also lacks the blazing speed of some of the slot receivers who will hear their name called in the 2021 NFL Draft.