2019 SCU Steelers Awards: Diontae Johnson grabs Offensive Player of the Year
Steel City Underground presents the 4th annual SCU Awards. Our panel of contributors voted on various awards for the Pittsburgh Steelers based on their performances during the 2019-20 NFL season. Comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with our winners and nominees.
Over the course of our Steel City Underground award series, we’ve not only talked about the players amongst our SCU team members but asked fans via social media who they would vote for. For the Steelers Offensive Player of the Year award, we turned things over a bit more to the fans. While there was some variance, the player who made the biggest impression on offense for Pittsburgh during the 2019-20 NFL season, per the final vote, was rookie wide receiver and return specialist, Diontae Johnson.
It was a Diontae kind of season
When Santonio Holmes announced that the Steelers had selected Diontae Johnson in the 2019 NFL Draft (3rd round, No. 66 overall) who had played his collegiate football as a Toledo Golden Rocket, there were many fans who weren’t sure what the new rookie’s pedigree was. At 5-ft, 11-inches, the Ruskin (Florida) native was a versatile weapon and first-team All-MAC receiver and a first-team all-conference punt returner. Johnson was named second-team kickoff returner. During his sophomore season, Johnson led Toledo in receiving (74 for 1,278 yards, 13 TDs). The former high school quarterback (sophomore and junior years) may have fallen through the cracks a tad as the scouts looked over the lists at the NFL Scouting Combine.
An “AFC personnel director” reported to NFL.com the following: “Our regional scout had a good grade on (Johnson) coming into the season so we’ve kept a close eye on him. He plays with a lot of flare, but I wonder if it’s sustainable when he has better size and quickness over him.”
Attention anonymous AFC personnel director: Johnson showed he has sustainability, despite size, and quickness. Trust us. Trust Steelers Nation!
Johnson was a breath of fresh air for the Steelers’ offense in a year where offense was difficult to create following the loss of Ben Roethlisberger for the season due to injury to his throwing arm and a week-to-week shift between backups Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. The offensive line was required to do a lot of changing, sometimes in the middle of games, to provide not only run-blocking but pass protection. JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington did their part to keep the ball moving down the field as well in the receiving department but it was Johnson who seemed to stand out on stats charts and highlight reels.
Johnson wasn’t afraid to go for a contested-catch, stretch the field against stingy defenses and even stingier defensive backs, or just hop on his own train and blaze a punt return for 85-yards and a touchdown. He showed great awareness and good hands despite being considered “undersized” by many pro scouts.
He finished his rookie season as a wideout with 59 receptions for 680 yards (11.5 YPR) and five touchdowns.
How the votes went for OPOY
The panel was split a tiny bit among SCU team members – and Steelers fans, when it came down to it – as to who should actually be crowned as the Steelers’ Offensive Player of the Year. In the end, one player ran away with the title, however.
“I’d go with Diontae Johnson,” SCU team member Ryan Lippert wrote. “Gave us a legit playmaking threat in the offense which is something we lacked throughout this [2019] season.”
Meanwhile, fellow SCU panelist Ben Beberman said, “I’d say James Washington. He gave us a taste of what he can become as a No. 2 receiver. I have high hopes for him.”
#SteelersNation Despite a difficult 2019 season, who would you name as the #Steelers Offensive Player of the Year? (If "other" please leave a comment & let us know why you chose that player) #HereWeGo
— Christina Rivers (@3Rivers_Writer) March 2, 2020
On the Steel City Underground Facebook page, this is how the fans voted:
After a great rookie season, Johnson should be an intriguing player on the Steelers’ offense and special teams return team in the upcoming 2020-21 NFL season as well.
