Pro Football Focus recently shared their rankings of the top 32 tight ends heading into the 2026 NFL season,
and despite coming off a career year, New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson fell to No. 18. At first glance, that ranking may seem a bit low. Johnson finished the 2025 season among the NFL’s top five tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards, but he’s still viewed by many as more of a “big slot” receiver or hybrid weapon than a traditional tight end.Here’s what PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote about Johnson:
“Johnson enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2025, placing third in the NFL with 889 receiving yards. His 14 contested catches were also third in the league, while his 12 forced missed tackles
placed fifth. At 231 pounds, Johnson blurs the line between a wide receiver and a tight end.”
PFF acknowledged Johnson's breakout season, highlighting both his production and his ability to make plays in contested situations while creating yards after the catch. At 231 pounds, Johnson blurs the line between tight end and wide receiver, making him more of a versatile receiving weapon than a traditional in-line tight end.
With that being said, being slotted at No. 18 feels a bit low for a player who finished among the top five at his position in several major statistical categories. There are a couple of players ranked ahead of Johnson, including Brenton Strange of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Colby Parkinson of the Los Angeles Rams, who trailed him by a comfortable margin in most key receiving metrics. Team success likely played a role in the final rankings, but Johnson's individual production suggests he deserved to be a few spots higher.
If Johnson wants to earn recognition as one of the league's premier tight ends, he'll likely have to prove that 2025 wasn't a one-year breakout. Another season in the neighborhood of 55 to 70 receptions and 600 to 800 receiving yards would go a long way, but the biggest area for growth is his impact in the red zone. Given his size and physicality, Johnson has all the tools to become a more consistent scoring threat. If he can turn more of those opportunities into touchdowns while maintaining his production in the middle of the field, it will be difficult to keep him out of the upper tier of next year's rankings.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: PFF unimpressed by Juwan Johnson's career year, ranking him 18th at TE
