Diontae Lamarcus Johnson (born July 5, 1996) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
wide receiver for the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, O ...
and was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the
2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April ...
.
Early years
Johnson attended and played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...
at
Earl J. Lennard High School
Earl J. Lennard High School is a public high school located in Ruskin, Florida. It opened in 2006, mainly for the purpose to relieve overcrowding at East Bay High School
East Bay High School is a public high school in Gibsonton, Florida. It was ...
.
College career
Johnson played college football for
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, O ...
from 2015 to 2018. During his time at Toledo, he had 135 catches for 2,235 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also had four rushing attempts for 26 yards. His sophomore year was his best, where he had 74 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
2019
Johnson was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
in the third round, 66th overall, of the
2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April ...
. The Steelers originally acquired the selection in a trade that sent
Antonio Brown
Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college ...
to the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
. Johnson made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. In the game, Johnson made three catches for 25 yards in the 33–3 loss. In Week 3 against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Johnson caught three passes for 52 yards and his first career touchdown as the Steelers lost 24–20. In Week 8 against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...
, Johnson caught five passes for a career-high 84 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown, in the 27–14 win. In Week 11 against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
on ''
Thursday Night Football
''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'', Johnson was concussed after safety
Damarious Randall made a helmet to helmet hit on him. In Week 14 against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
, Johnson caught six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt for an 85-yard touchdown in the 23–17 win, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On January 3, 2020, Johnson was named to the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...
All-Pro Second-team as a punt return specialist. Overall, Johnson finished the 2019 season with 59 receptions for 680 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
2020
Johnson finished the 2020 season with 88 receptions for 923 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 15 games. He had two games going over the 100-yard mark on the season.
In the
Wild Card Round
A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that fails to qualify in the normal way; for example, by having a high ranking or winnin ...
of the playoffs against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, Johnson recorded 11 catches for 117 yards during the 48–37 loss.
2021
Johnson finished the 2021 season with 107 receptions for 1,161 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 16 games. He had three games going over the 100-yard mark on the season.
In the
Wild Card Round
A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that fails to qualify in the normal way; for example, by having a high ranking or winnin ...
of the playoffs against the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
, Johnson caught five passes totaling 34 yards and a touchdown in the 42–21 loss.
After the
AFC Championship
The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
game which resulted in the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
making it to
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...
, he was named to his first Pro Bowl, replacing Bengals receiver
Ja'Marr Chase
Ja'Marr Anthony Chase (born March 1, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, where he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and the 2020 College ...
.
2022
On August 4, 2022, Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71 million contract extension with the Steelers that included $27 million guaranteed.
In Week 15 against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Johnson had his best game of the season with 10 receptions for 98 yards, both season highs. He finished the 2022 season with a team-high 86 receptions for 882 yards and zero touchdowns, setting an NFL record for most receptions in a season without a touchdown.
NFL statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
Pittsburgh Steelers bioToledo Rockets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Diontae
1996 births
Living people
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football wide receivers
People from Ruskin, Florida
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Hillsborough County, Florida
Toledo Rockets football players