Player
Quentin Johnston
WR · Chargers
A first-round WR rebounding from a rookie-year bust is rare; Johnston's three straight yardage climbs and steady availability are why the Chargers stuck with him instead of drafting over the position.
The narrative is bust-then-breakout — and his receiving yards have climbed three years straight.
TrendJohnston regular-season production
| Year | G | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | 67 | 38 | 431 | 2 |
| 2024 | 16 | 96 | 55 | 711 | 8 |
| 2025 | 14 | 90 | 54 | 755 | 8 |
Receiving yards per season
| Season | Yards |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 431 |
| 2024 | 711 |
| 2025 | 755 |
The 2023 rookie year (38/431/2) was so disappointing it became its own storyline — a No. 21 overall pick who looked lost. Then 2024 came in with 8 TDs on 55 catches, and through 14 games in 2025 he has already passed that yardage total (755).
The quiet line: he's been on the field for 47 of 50 possible games. The breakout wasn't a healthy-year rebound — it was a usage shift.
Why it matters. A first-round WR rebounding from a rookie-year bust is rare; Johnston's three straight yardage climbs and steady availability are why the Chargers stuck with him instead of drafting over the position.
On deep throws he is now a legitimate weapon — 9 catches on 20+ yard targets in 2025, up from 2 as a rookie.
SplitJohnston targets at 20+ air yards
| Year | Deep Tgts | Catches | Yds | Catch% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17 | 2 | 84 | 11.8% |
| 2024 | 22 | 6 | 219 | 27.3% |
| 2025 | 20 | 9 | 319 | 45.0% |
As a rookie he caught 2 of 17 deep targets (11.8%) — a brutal number that fueled the early bust narrative. In 2025 he's at 9 of 20 (45.0%) for 319 yards.
The volume has barely moved (17 → 22 → 20 deep looks). The catch rate has nearly quadrupled. That's the entire story of his second-contract trajectory in one split.
Why it matters. Deep-ball catch rate is one of the stickiest indicators of WR maturation; tripling-plus that rate while keeping the same volume signals a real skill change, not a usage trick.
He has scored on 10 of his last 27 red-zone targets — a 37% TD rate over two seasons.
SplitJohnston red-zone usage (yardline_100 ≤ 20)
| Year | RZ Tgts | Catches | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| 2025 | 15 | 10 | 4 |
15 red-zone targets in 14 games in 2025 ties his current pace at over one per game. He's caught 10 of them and scored 4 TDs.
At 6-3, 215 lbs, Justin Herbert uses him exactly the way you'd expect: jump balls in the back of the end zone and fades against zone-corners. 27 RZ targets between 2024 and 2025 → 8 TDs is a 30% conversion rate on contested area looks.
Why it matters. Red-zone target share is the single biggest leading indicator of WR TD totals; Herbert routing this much condensed-field volume to Johnston explains why he has 16 TDs across the last two seasons despite only 109 catches.
He scores on 12.2% of his career catches — second-best in the 2023 WR class behind only Jordan Addison.
Comparison2023 WR class — TD-per-reception (min 100 career catches)
| Player | Pick | Rec | Yds | TDs | TD/Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Addison | 23 | 178 | 2,425 | 22 | 12.4% |
| Quentin Johnston | 21 | 147 | 1,897 | 18 | 12.2% |
| Jayden Reed | 50 | 150 | 1,981 | 16 | 10.7% |
| Michael Wilson | 94 | 163 | 2,119 | 14 | 8.6% |
| Rashee Rice | 55 | 182 | 2,059 | 15 | 8.2% |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 20 | 299 | 3,750 | 22 | 7.4% |
| Puka Nacua | 177 | 357 | 4,845 | 22 | 6.2% |
| Zay Flowers | 22 | 246 | 3,284 | 15 | 6.1% |
In total receptions and yardage, Johnston is mid-pack at best in his class (Nacua has 357 catches and 4,845 yards). But on a per-reception basis, only Addison's 12.4% TD rate beats Johnston's 12.2%.
The gap to the class's volume stars is huge: Nacua scores on 6.2% of catches, JSN on 7.4%. Johnston is the class's efficient finisher, even if not its highest-volume producer.
Why it matters. TD/Rec rate is the cleanest way to compare a contested-catch role like Johnston's against the high-volume, intermediate-route profiles of Nacua and JSN — same draft class, opposite roles, similar end-zone output.
His EPA-per-target more than doubled in one offseason — from +0.105 as a rookie to +0.264 in year two.
AnomalyJohnston efficiency by year
| Year | Targets | EPA/Tgt | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 67 | +0.105 | 2 |
| 2024 | 96 | +0.264 | 8 |
| 2025 | 90 | +0.252 | 8 |
EPA per target by season
| Season | EPA/Tgt |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 0.105 |
| 2024 | 0.264 |
| 2025 | 0.252 |
As a rookie his +0.105 EPA/target sat near the bottom of regular WR starters. In 2024 he posted +0.264 — a clear jump, though still middle of the pack among 80+ target WRs (26th of 53).
That is the kind of jump that explains why the Chargers didn't draft over him. The 2025 mark (+0.252) has held essentially even with 2024. The drafting was vindicated by the efficiency improvement, not the surface stats.
Why it matters. Per-target EPA captures how much each throw to a receiver actually moved expected scoring; a 2.5x jump year-over-year is a real signal of improved route running, contested catches, or scheme fit — not a small-sample blip.
His 186-yard, 13-catch game at Las Vegas in 2024 W18 is the only 13+ catch performance of his career — and one of just two in his entire draft class.
MilestoneJohnston top single-game receiving performances
| Date | Opp | Tgts | Rec | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 W18 | @ LV | 14 | 13 | 186 | 0 |
| 2024 W9 | @ CLE | 5 | 4 | 131 | 1 |
| 2025 W16 | @ DAL | 5 | 4 | 104 | 1 |
| 2025 W17 | vs HOU | 8 | 5 | 98 | 0 |
| 2025 W4 | @ NYG | 13 | 8 | 98 | 1 |
| 2023 W14 | vs DEN | 4 | 3 | 91 | 0 |
That 2024 Week 18 @ Las Vegas game was a peculiar shape: 14 targets, 13 catches, 186 yards — and zero touchdowns. The Chargers used him entirely as a possession option that day.
His 186 yards is the 2nd-largest single-game total among 2023-class WRs (Puka Nacua had 225 in 2025 W16). The through-line on his top games: high target volume — he doesn't make hay on light usage days, only when LA dials him up does production follow.
Why it matters. Single-game ceiling matters for projecting upside; Johnston's career-best game came at near-perfect efficiency (13 of 14) but produced zero TDs, exposing how dependent his scoring is on red-zone routing rather than yardage volume.
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