It was clear that the LA Chargers needed to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The only thing that was unclear was who that receiver was going to be. With Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers both still on the board, many fans assumed that one of the two would be coming to LA.
Instead, the Chargers threw a curveball and drafted the biggest boom-or-bust receiver in the first round, Quentin Johnston. Johnston's ceiling was certainly infatuating but his potential pitfalls were worrisome. And unfortunately for the Bolts, they only saw those pitfalls in his rookie season.
Johnston turned in a bad rookie season while Flowers and Addison both thrived for their respective teams. The hope in Los Angeles is that Johnston can turn it around in his sophomore season but there is not a lot of optimism around that hope. In fact, that hope only looks more bleak after Johnston continued his dropped-pass problems during Chargers OTAs.
Pain… https://t.co/FSnsPWz3Wh pic.twitter.com/GOzHiDwSAe
— harith (@itsharith20) June 4, 2024
Quentin Johnston's drops continue at Chargers OTAs
The clip posted above was originally posted by ESPN's Kris Rihm and subtly has Johnston dropping a pass during receiving drills. This is a sight that is all too familiar for Chargers fans and looks like a similar drop that resulted in the Bolts losing a game to the Green Bay Packers.
To be fair to Johnston, this is just one clip that does not encapsulate his entire showing at OTAs thus far. There is also plenty of time for Johnston to continue working on his craft to be a more well-rounded receiver in 2024.
That being said, Johnston does not deserve the benefit of the doubt after the rookie season he put together. Johnston needs to thrive during these practices for Chargers fans to buy in on him having a better second year. Dropping a routine pass with nobody in coverage is not going to do that for him,
The hope for Johnston is that a new offensive vision that actually uses him properly (not like an X receiver) will result in better production. But a new coaching staff can only take Johnston so far and if he continues to drop passes he will only be viewed as unreliable by the team and by quarterback Justin Herbert.
Thankfully, time is on Johnston's side to right the ship and be ready for the 2024 season. If he isn't ready by 2024, though, then his time will run out.