Juwan Johnson From Marques Colston Lookalike to Solid Tight End. A Fun Surprise in 2021

Coming out of Oregon in 2020, Juwan Johnson was a player many considered an intriguing prospect. His size alone, coming in at 6 foot 4 and 231 pounds, made him one of the most sought after undrafted free agents. When he came to the New Orleans Saints, all the Marques Colston comparisons came right away. We’ve all heard the story before and seen the comparisons. Whether it was Brandon Coleman or Emmanuel Butler, if you are a bigger bodied receiver and you go to New Orleans, you will get compared to Marques Colston. Entering the 2021 season, Johnson was a guy, at best, fighting the 5th or 6th spot in the wide receiver room. Upon making the position change from wide receiver to tight end, and having a solid training camp and preseason, Johnson earned a spot on the 53-man roster as the team’s third tight end.

Johnson immediately made his presence known in the offense. Two of Johnson’s three catches went for touchdowns in the week 1 beatdown on the Green Bay Packers. Johnson continuously made plays throughout the season and was the big play guy at the tight end position. All 4 of Johnson’s touchdowns came in the redzone this year and he made play after play up the seam, reminding us of the Jimmy Graham years in a way. Considering Johnson’s training camp position change and his upbeat demeanor, you can’t help but to root for a guy like him and hope to see him succeed.

Going into year three, Johnson will have to become a stronger blocker and become a more constant threat at the receiver. Heading into the 2022 season, Johnson will have to once again compete and prove to himself and the Saints that he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster. Based on what we saw this past season, Johnson is more than ready to step up to this challenge!

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