Arizona Cardinals rookie has been a pleasant surprise

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver KeeSean Johnson is blowing past the two rookie pass-catchers who were drafted ahead of him

The Arizona Cardinals would have to admit that they didn’t see this one coming. When an organization selects three wide receivers in one draft, it would be fair to believe that the third one would be the least productive. Don’t look now, but that very pass-catcher is proving that theory wrong thus far at Cardinals training camp.

KeeSean Johnson, who was chosen after both Andy Isabella and Hakeem Butler back in April, has shot up the Arizona depth chart this summer. The rookie’s above-average speed and excellent hands have been incredibly impressive. So much so, in fact, that a slew of prognosticators are suggesting that Johnson will be the number-three wideout for the Cards in 2019.

There’s no argument about who the Cardinals top two receivers are. Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk will be Kyler Murray’s go-to guys this coming fall. The third spot has yet to be decided, but Johnson does appear to be putting a stranglehold hold on it at the moment.

Isabella has looked outstanding at times during Arizona’s practices, but has dropped a decent amount of passes as well. The 5’9,188 pounder is currently sidelined with a knee injury that he suffered last week. There’s a chance that Isabella may miss the club’s first preseason game on Thursday, which could ultimately lead to more playing time for Johnson.

Butler, like Isabella, has also failed to catch some of the balls thrown his way at Cards camp. There were quite a few experts who felt that the Iowa State University product would quickly emerge as a viable contributor. There’s still time for that to happen, of course, but Johnson has certainly outplayed Butler early on.

Johnson flashed plenty of potential during his college days. The 22-year old racked up 275 receptions for 3,463 yards and 24 touchdowns during his four seasons at Fresno State University. Johnson is the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards and catches.

For now, the competition at wide receiver will continue for the Cardinals. Both youngsters and veterans will continue to battle it out for the remaining roster positions. The talented Johnson is well on his way to securing one of those spots.