The Senior Bowl has officially come and gone, with the three days of practice concluded and the National Team defeating the American Team, 16-7, during Saturday’s game.
Many players took the opportunity this week to elevate their NFL draft stock and one of those was National Team tight end Theo Johnson. He showed off strong blocking, consistent hands, and good separation en route to being voted the Best Tight End on his team by his defensive peers.
Theo Johnson with a nice stutter step on the in-breaker. pic.twitter.com/26qR9thjwc
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) February 1, 2024
Johnson confirmed with Texans Wire that he spoke with the Houston Texans while in Mobile and had some time to talk with lead analyst John Crumpler about his experience at the Senior Bowl and his path to the draft.
John Crumpler, Texans Wire: Theo, what does it mean for you to be here at the Senior Bowl?
Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State: I mean, it’s a huge deal, a huge honor. I grew up in Canada, so coming to the United States and playing football is something almost like a fantasy for Canadians. To have the opportunity to be here, to get down here and eventually we’ll be competing in the NFL Draft. Somebody beyond my wildest dreams, I’m very blessed and fortunate.
JC: How have you felt about your first few days of practice at the event? What's the focus moving forward?
TJ: You know, I think I had a pretty good showing first few days. A few plays, I;d like to get back but you know, that’s the nature of the game. I think the big thing for me is continue to sustain and improve every single day. And you know, I want to finish out the week strong. It’s not about how you started it’s how you finish. So just because I started good doesn’t mean that I’m out the woods, I want to be able to continue sustaining growth throughout the week.
JC: What are you most proud of to bring into an NFL locker room in a few months here?
TJ: Yeah, I think the thing I’m most proud of that I’m bringing to whatever organization I’m drafted to is going to be none of my physical traits. You know I have obviously, speed and size and all that good stuff, but I think the person that I am, the mental traits that I possess are ones that is going to help not only myself and my organization thrive, but for the offense and the team. I think I have leadership qualities that that will be able to flourish at the next level. And I think that I just handle my business like a pro and that’s something I’ve done for a long time.
“There’s a play that we run that kinda turned into my play…”
Listen to this thoughtful response from Penn State TE Theo Johnson on the tight end option route and his ability to read coverages.
This is the kind of player Bobby Slowik could find ample use for #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/CjU63kLPcu
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 31, 2024
JC: NFL Coaches are going to watch a lot of film over the next few months - What's one play or sequence you hope they see from your 2023 tape?
TJ: There’s a play that we run that kind of turned into my play a little bit. It’s kind of like a four-point option route. It’s eight to 10 yards over ball, I can either take it straight up the middle, keep it on straight line, man route it or sit in Tampa. That’s kind of something, I won’t say I perfected but I’ve done a really good job at this year. It’s something that takes a lot of practice because you have to read so many different things in the eight-yard window to make your decision. So I hope that’s something that people can see, you know, this guy can digest coverages on the fly and be able to make plays at a high level at high speeds.
