Senior Bowl 2024: Q&A with Penn State’s Theo Johnson, one of 2024 NFL draft’s top tight ends

One of six tight ends competing at the Senior Bowl, Johnson was the best player at the position this week. Now, he has a great opportunity to stake his claim as a high in April's NFL draft.

Penn State tight end Theo Johnson declared for the NFL draft and backed up his decision with an impressive showing at the 2024 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this week.Read morePaul Abell / Abell Images via Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

by Devin Jackson

Published Feb. 3, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

MOBILE, Ala. — In a tight end class that features Georgia standout Brock Bowers as the top NFL draft prospect at the position, Penn State’s Theo Johnson had a great opportunity to stake his claim as the next best tight end at the Senior Bowl.

One of six tight ends competing, Johnson was the best player at the position across both Senior Bowl teams. In his final season with the Nittany Lions, Johnson had 34 catches for 341 yards and seven touchdowns, all career highs.At 6-foot-6, 257 pounds, Johnson has an athleticism that was evident across the three practices. And he caught nearly every pass thrown his way.

For his efforts, Johnson was named the top tight end of the week for the National Team, voted on by the safeties and linebackers who faced him all week.

During the Senior Bowl media day, The Inquirer caught up with Johnson to talk about his journey from Ontario, Canada, to State College, Pa., and his unique skill set.

What has your experience been like at the Senior Bowl? Especially being here with a couple of your Penn State teammates.

I think it’s been a great experience, it’s something that I grew up watching, and kind of getting to be in this moment, I’m super blessed and grateful to have had this opportunity, getting coached by NFL teams, guys that hopefully [I] want to play for the next level.

What does a Senior Bowl invite mean to you? Was it something that you imagined was possible when you were younger?

It’s something that you look at, and you watch as a Canadian, and it almost seems like a faraway fantasy that’s kind of out of touch. I played all four years in high school in Canada, I didn’t come over to prep school. I’m kind of living my wildest dreams right now. And I’m thankful to God every single day for getting me here, and I’m going to keep thanking him every single day after this because I’m very blessed and fortunate to be in the situation that I’m in.

What about Penn State’s track record of producing NFL tight ends?

That was a big reason why I chose Penn State. It’s proven what they do with tight ends. And I wanted to not only be a part of that, and continue that, but leave my mark, and I feel like I’ve done that. ... I feel good about the state that I left our tight end room.

What skills separate you from other tight ends in this class as it relates to the NFL?

I think the biggest separator for me is my size and my speed combined. I’d like to think it’s kind of rare that you have someone as big as me that can move like I do, I think it’s probably a testament to training. I was a receiver for so many years, and not realizing how big my body was. But I think that kind of sets me apart, and I’m not a stiff blocking tight end, I’m someone that can block and get in the trenches and get my nose dirty. And at the same time, I can be explosive and make the big plays on third down.

Take us inside the Penn State training facility. Every year it seems like the school generates these freak athletes who test off the charts.

If I had to put it into two words, I’d probably say gruesome and barbaric, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. To get the most out of yourself, you have to push yourself further than you thought you were capable of going, and Penn State is able to do that every single year. That’s how they can get these guys that can test off the charts and do all these things, because that’s how they train and that’s how they do things. We’re kind of getting away from that across the country, people are starting to change their methods of training guys, and Penn State has stayed true to who they are and how they train guys.

How did battles with Penn State teammates Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson prepare you for what you will see on Sundays?

I get to the games and I’m so prepared. Chop Robinson is hands down the hardest person to have around the block. Going up against Adisa Isaac has made me a better blocker. The hardest defense [I played] all year are the guys at practice; it makes the games easier and it makes your development so, so strong.

What has it been like to run routes against different safeties and linebackers in Mobile? How do you change your approach?

The big thing, regardless of the setting, is just knowing the personnel. Some guys are going to try and get their hands on you, some guys are going to try and mirror your feet. It’s just trying to get a feel for that and then be able to use that against them. So for me, sometimes people that want to get their hands on me, I’m going to trust my speed; other guys that are a little quicker, maybe got a step on me, that’s when I use my hands, use my body, use my size. I think it’s just using the combination of the skills I possess and then knowing which situations [and] which people will bring out the skills I have.

Is there an NFL tight end, past or present, that you take tips from on the nuances of the position?

The guy that I watch a lot of tape on, [and have] a ton of respect for is George Kittle. The guy takes as much pride in the run game and blocking and putting defensive ends on their back as he does making the big plays on third down, and scoring touchdowns. I see myself as being a guy that can develop into being a similar player where I can be as dominant in the run game as I can in the passing game, so I got a ton of respect for his game.