What's the skinny on Charles Johnson?
Probably nothing considering he's a 7th round pick who missed his rookie season, but he's a Julio Jones clone physically and was pretty dominant in small school ball despite running a grand total of two routes most of the time (bubble screens and bombs). So he's got monster ceiling if he hits.The Packers drafted him, he hurt his MCL during camp and missed final cuts, then got added to the Packers' practice squad. The Browns signed him from there and afterwards discovered he had a torn ACL that the Packers had missed.
Unfortunately some rule or other related to prospects signed off other teams' practice squads makes him ineligible for IR, so he has to take up space on your FF roster for now.
I think Cleveland WR Charles Johnson is a very interesting prospect.
6'2 215 lbs and runs a 4.38 forty. Fantastic measurables that were near the numbers that Julio Jones posted at the Combine. Johnson was a bit under the radar due to playing at a small school and he also got suspended and went to three schools which threw up a red flag so he fell in the draft but he's definitely got the size/speed/measureables and was productive when he got his chance in college. Late pick with potential huge upside.
The Browns signed him off of the Packers practice squad so they had to add him to their active roster but it was discovered 'after' he was signed that he had a torn ACL.
Many ripped the Browns because they thought they should have done a standard medical check before they signed him so they thought the signing was a mistake but I disagree vehemently.
If Charles Johnson had a tore ACL with the Pack and Green Bay didn't know it then CJ would have obviously been hindered by that injury yet he still played in the final two preseason games and made their practice squad with the torn ACL.
The Browns have Josh Gordon but the other WR position is open. Greg Little had it but lost his starting job to Davone Bess but both have struggled. Charles Johnson had surgery to fix the ACL and he's going to have a full offseason conditioning and he will know the offense.
He could hit the ground running next year and he 'could' wind up being the starter opposite Josh Gordon. If that happens then Gordon would be the guy that gets game planned for and TE Jordan Cameron would also be a guy to occupy the coverage attention so if CJ got the other starting WR gig he could be positioned for a big sleeper year especially since the Browns will likely address the QB position high in the draft and they'll have QB Brian Hoyer to act as a bridge and they'll also likely go after a RB like Ben Tate in free agency so the only hole left would be the 2nd WR spot. Jes sayin'.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/2025465/charles-johnson
03/16/2013 - 2013 Grand Valley State Pro Day: Grand Valley State's Charles Johnson sprints up draft boards...Charles Johnson was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but his workout Monday in front of NFL scouts representing 24 teams at Grand Valley State's pro day could have the receiver vaulting up draft boards.
Johnson (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 and 4.39 seconds. He had a 4.31-second short shuttle and 6.96-second three-cone drill. He had a 39 1/2-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot-1 broad jump. He performed 14 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. The receivers coaches from the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets were present in Allendale, Mich. for the workout.
Johnson went under the radar coming out of a Division II program - albeit a powerhouse one - and wasn't able to secure an invitation to the combine. However, scouts certainly took notice when he ripped off a 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at his pro day to go along with an impressive all-around workout.
Johnson
began his college career at Eastern Kentucky, but he was suspended from the program and landed at Antelope Valley Community College in California before finding his way to Grand Valley State in 2010.
After redshirting in 2010, Johnson was a first-team All-GLIAC performer as a junior, catching 56 passes for 1,030 yards and 15 touchdowns. He build on that in 2012, hauling in 72 passes for 1,199 yards and 16 touchdowns - marks that each ranked fourth in single-season school history annals.
For his career, Johnson ranks second in TD catches (31), fourth in receiving yards (2,229) and 6th in total receptions.
Johnson's pro-day efforts would have placed him among the top performers at the combine in the 40, vertical jump and broad jump. Before his pro day, Johnson had guaranteed that he'd run a 4.39, reports MLive.com. - Gil Brandt, NFL.com
Johnson was highly productive for a D-II powerhouse and then posted pro day numbers that included a 4.38 40, 39 1/2-inch vertical and an 11-foot-1 broad jump drill - numbers that would have placed him among the wide receiver leaders at the combine. Concerns include playing at three different schools in college