TCU’s Quentin Johnston to make top-30 visit with Cardinals tomorrow

Until he gets traded or gets released abruptly, three-time First-team All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins remains an Arizona Cardinal.

However, the undecided future of Hopkins in the desert will not stop GM Monti Ossenfort from exploring all option at the wide receiver position.

According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals are scheduled to have a top-30 visit with Texas Christian’s wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

Johnston was voted as a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the most outstanding receiver in college football. He is coming of a stellar season at TCU, posting career bests in catches (60), receiving yards (1,069), and touchdowns (6) while averaging an impressive 17.8 yards per catch.

Not just from a production standpoint, his measurables overall is impressive for the wide receiver position. Standing at 6-feet-3 208 pounds, the 21-year-old Johnston clocked in at 4.49 seconds at the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and have an impressive 40.5-inch vertical jump at the NFL Combine.

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

The Cardinals currently own the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and are not expected to take Johnston with that pick. Or at the very least, that is what the media and fans believe. With six teams having inquired with Arizona about moving up to their first-round draft slot, it makes you wonder if Johnston could be one of their top fall back options in a trade back.

Johnston’s draft projection is currently difficult to determine considering the vast number of mock drafts available to read. Some mock drafts have him getting selected towards the end top 10 while others have him being passed on in the first-round entirely.

Photo by Adam Bow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Quoted by NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein in Johnston’s draft profile, an NFC scout said “He’s got some freak (athleticism) in him and will test great, but the hands are a concern for me.”

There remains a scenario where Hopkins is kept on the roster while Johnston gets drafted to be groomed as his eventual replacement. The Cardinals would be loaded with wide receiver depth if this were to happen.

Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, USC’s Jordan Addison, and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt are a few other notable wide receiver prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class.