Today’s player interview is Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The Colts could use a slot receiver along..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Filed under:Colts AnalysisInterviewsNFL DraftColts Prospect Interviews: Toledo Wide Receiver Diontae JohnsonNew Anthony Castonzo Jersey ,4commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareColts Prospect Interviews: Toledo Wide Receiver Diontae JohnsonPhoto by Justin Casterline/Getty ImagesThe Colts prospect interviews are finishing up as we approach the NFL Draft this week. Today’s player interview is Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The Colts could use a slot receiver along with a special teams ace and Johnson fits the bill in both of those areas. The interview will be towards the bottom of the page, as he interviewed exclusively with Stampede Blue to talk about playing alongside Cody Thompson and Jon’Vea Johnson, what makes a great route runner, and how he’d like playing with Andrew Luck and T.Y Hilton.BackgroundSize:5’10” 183 poundsMeasurables: 40 Time: 4.53 / 10-yard split: 1.59 / Bench Reps: 15 Reps / Vertical Jump: 33.5 inches / Broad Jump: 125 inches / 3-Cone: 7.09 secondsCareer Stats:135 catches for 2,235 yards and 23 touchdowns. 78 kick returns for 1,826 yards and 2 touchdowns. 17 punt returns for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns in his career. Round Projection:Rounds 4-5Fit with the Colts:Johnson may not have the greatest size or athleticism, but he makes up for that with his versatility and nuance. Johnson is an excellent route runner who excels at winning at the line of scrimmage and working his way open. He is also a dangerous return man, and would give the Colts a much needed boost in this area. If the Colts want to upgrade their slot from Chester Rogers, grabbing Diontae Johnson in the middle rounds would be a great investment. Film Room:The first things that pop are Johnson's release at the line and his route running. He is really advanced in these two areas of his game.Johnson has the deep play ability and after the catch ability to be a big play threat, as well.The return game, however, is where Johnson truly shines. He could be one of the best returners in the league one day. Johnson was one of the top returners in college.InterviewZH: You were a talented player in Florida during your high school career. What went into the decision to attend Toledo?DJ: Coach Candle was the coach at the time, and he came and found me at one of my games that I did real well. I didn’t really know much about the school until I went on a visit. I liked the area and the coaching staff and I felt like it was the right place for me to be at. Toledo stuck with me through everything and stuff like that.ZH: You played alongside two talented receivers in Cody Thompson and Jon’Vea Johnson at Toledo. What was it like to be in such a talented receiver room?DJ: It was good, because we were able to learn from each other. Obviously, we have different playing styles, but just to be able to sit in the film room with them and pick each other’s brains and let each other know what we did wrong here and there was just a good experience. Not too many people get that experience, to be apart of something like that, and it was just great, man.ZH: Would you say that you guys were the best receiving trio in college football?DJ: Yeah no doubt, hands down. The numbers we put up and things we did as a group Ryan Kelly Color Rush Jersey , I feel like nobody is ever going to do what we did again in my opinion. ZH: Where would you say is your best fit in the NFL? In the slot or on the outside?DJ: I would say slot because of the matchup mismatches and what not. I can play both in or out because I’m so versatile and I have the ability to do just about anything my coaches ask of me.ZH: You were an outstanding special teams player in your career. Do you think that is an area that you can immediately contribute at in the NFL? DJ: Oh yeah, certainly. Just what I can do with the ball in my hand and being able to play kick returner or punt returner gives me a boost for teams. A lot of teams are really high on me because of my ability as a receiver, and that ability to play special teams. I feel like I can come in and help a team out real fast on special teams, and that is really what I want to play. After that, if I get a chance to play offense, I can show what I can do on that side of the ball as well.ZH: I like to ask this of a lot of receivers I interview. What is the key to be a great route runner? What makes a guy elite in this area of their game?DJ: You gotta be able to win at the line of scrimmage. That is where the play starts. If you can’t win at the line of scrimmage, then the route is dead. Obviously, you gotta be able to run every route in the route tree and have good hands, but you gotta win at the line of scrimmage, because that is where the play starts at. ZH: Who in the NFL do you model your game after/compare yourself to?DJ: I watch Stefon Diggs a lot. Just the way he comes out of his breaks, and gets off of the line, and catches the ball in traffic, I really try to model my game after him. Being that we are the same height— he weighs a little bit more than me— I would say that our games are pretty similar and I compare myself to him.ZH: These last two are going to be Colts centered questions. First, how cool would it be to get the chance to play alongside T.Y Hilton and Andrew Luck if Indy were the team that drafted you?DJ: It would be a great experience for me. Just being able to play with those type of guys who have had great success would give me a chance to soak up as much information as I can to better my game. The ability to learn under T.Y Hilton— that is another one of the receivers I model my game after— and playing with a guy like that would really help me. To learn from a guy like that and take the little techniques he has and apply it to my game would just be awesome. ZH: What is my team getting if they spend a draft pick on you in this draft? What separates you from other receivers in this class?DJ: Just my versatility. I can play both in and out and even special teams too. A lot of receivers in this draft don’t play special teams, they are just receivers. I feel like I have the upper hand on them because I can play special teams and receiver. There aren’t too many people that can do things with the ball in their hand like I can and make people miss like I can. I’m just being humble about it but I just feel like I’m better than anybody they compare me to. The Colts took care of business last night, beating the Titans and catapulting themselves improbably into the playoffs, where they look like a team that could do just about anything. In a contest where they struggled with mistakes and mental errors, the Colts were able to pull out a win over a team they should have beaten. Now they’ll head to Houston next Saturday at 4:35pm to take on the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round with a chance to move deeper into the playoffs. Before they do that, let’s take a look at the winners and losers of this game. WinnersKenny MoorePhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesWhen the Colts jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the pressure began to shift toward the passing game of the Titans to make some plays. Kenny Moore did a great job all day in coverage https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Margus-Hunt-Jersey , putting together 4 tackles, an interception, and 2 passes defended. One of those passes defended was a drive killer in the first half that stopped the Titans offense following the Marlon Mack fumble and set the Colts up to eventually come away with a field goal before the half. He had a very near pick six when he went for a pass to the sideline and missed it by inches after a blocker got a hand on him. However, he was able to make the play of the game to essentially close it out for the Colts with a pick of Gabbert that allowed the Colts to put the game out of reach. In total, a strong performance from Moore.Darius LeonardPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesYet again, the presumptive defensive rookie of the year put up big numbers and had a major impact on the game. His 8 tackles, 2 passes defended, and game ending interception were the perfect way to end what has been an insane season for the rookie linebacker who was dubbed early on by Bleacher Report as one of the worst picks in the draft. Heading into the playoffs with Leonard leading this defense gives hope that this team can do just about anything, and his intensity has helped set the tone on that side of the ball. He was all over the field, and it can’t be underestimated how impactful it is to have a guy that opposing offenses have to game plan against. That isn’t something the Colts have had in a while.Marlon MackPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesThis was another day where Marlon Mack looked like the back the Colts need him to be going forward to be successful. He rushed 25 times for 119 yards and a touchdown, and moved the ball well behind a strong performance from the offensive line and in spite of a solid defense from the Titans. As the conditions got sloppy, the Colts needed to be able to grind out the clock on the ground, and Mack answered the bell, with a couple runs in which he was a razor’s width from taking it all the way. The one black mark on this game was Mack’s awful fumble deep in Titans’ territory. It took the ball away when the Colts were in scoring range and gave the Titans an opportunity to keep working their way back into the game. Dontrelle InmanPhoto by Frederick Breedon/Getty ImagesInman has been a very good signing by Chris Ballard and has clearly been getting more and more comfortable both with Luck and in the offense as a whole. He was 5 of 6 for 77 yards and a touchdown on a day where the Colts did well at spreading the ball around. This was a critical performance by Inman given the fact that T.Y. Hilton was pretty obviously hurting during this game. Matt EberflusEberflus has got his defense playing well enough to bail out the Colts offense when they struggle with mental errors, and there were certainly some of those today. Andrew Luck’s awful interception really jarred the offense out of their rhythm, but the defense minimized the damage and continued to play tough throughout this game despite worsening conditions and the loss of Tyquan Lewis. He has had a really impressive run to get this team up for games and has them playing at a playoff level. Please don’t steal him from us anyone.T.Y. HiltonPhoto by Frederick Breedon/Getty ImagesHilton’s long run after a screen pass was a thing to behold, especially when you know how bad he has been hurting. This guy is tough as nails and this team and the receivers are feeding off of Hilton’s energy. His contribution wasn’t as big as others, but his heart has carried this offense when it was needed.Rigoberto SanchezI don’t love giving props to the punter because it means he did something besides sit on the sideline and cheer, but Sanchez did a great job pinning the Titans back deep over and over again and deserves credit for a job well done. If we didn’t see him punt the remainder of the playoffs that would be fine with me. Sorry Rigo!LosersMark GlowinskiOn the whole, Glowinski has been a great addition to the offensive line Peyton Manning Jersey , and his pulling ability is impressive. This game was not his game, however. He had a holding penalty that negated a touchdown prior to Mack’s fumble, and that was just 1 of the penalties that he got credit for. Against an inferior Titans team that was missing key players on both sides of the ball the Colts were able to struggle through those kinds of issues. Once they get on the road in the playoffs, they cannot afford those kinds of mistakes because they completely disrupt the offense and put a lot of pressure on the young defense. This hasn’t been an issue a lot of this season, so it seems likely that Glow will get back to clean football going forward.Andrew LuckChristopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsThis is being a bit harsh because he played well for stretches, but Luck made some pretty bad throws in this game, specifically following immediately after his truly terrible interception. On the whole, Luck has improved in his tendency to throw up mystifying balls in lieu of taking a sack and living to play the next down. His tendency to hate giving up on plays is one of his best qualities, but it resulted in that pick six and also him trying to force the ball into windows that the defense was anticipating at various times. Fortunately, this game plan wasn’t reliant only upon Luck, and Frank Reich has his team prepared to play well around Luck so that when he has a down game, they can still get a win. All things considered, if this is a game where Luck can be considered a “loser,” things have gone pretty well. George OdumChristopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsEvery team has that one guy. George Odum is that guy for the Colts. He makes the kind of boneheaded penalties that make you cringe. His late hit out of bounds was exactly that kind of play, and it hurt even worse as it resulted in a big improvement in field position for the Titans and eventually points. He has done this too many times to dismiss as coincidental, and it seems that it is a trend for him. He also got caught taking bad angles in run defense on several occasions and Derrick Henry made him pay for it. The opportunity to redeem himself with an end zone pick slipped through his fingers, and ultimately it will be a major relief if Clayton Geathers is healthy for the game on Saturday against the Texans. Who were your winners and losers?