Cardinals’ David Johnson on top of pass-catching RB rankings

David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals started his college career at Northern Iowa as a receiver.

He caught over 30 passes in each of his four seasons at UNI, amassing a total of 1,734 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air.

So it should come as no surprise that Johnson has used his pass-catching skills at the next level to become one of the most dangerous dual threats out of the backfield.

In fact, Chris Wesseling of NFL.com has ranked his top pass-catching running backs, and Johnson tops the list, beating out the likes of Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell, Detroit’s Theo Riddick and San Diego’s Danny Woodhead.

By the third game of Johnson’s NFL career, Bruce Arians already had his third-round draft pick lining up out wide and in the slot as a third or fourth receiver. As a rookie, he became the first player in 16 years to average more than 12.0 yards per reception while gaining at least 400 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards. He also led all NFL running backs in percentage of receptions (58.3) converted to first downs.

“He’s probably as natural a catcher as there is,” quarterback Carson Palmer said last December, just before Johnson showed his mismatch potential with 88 yards on three receptions versus Green Bay in Week 16. The Packers started with a linebacker in coverage, switched to a safety and finally capitulated with a dime cornerback by the end of the game. During that blowout victory, NFL Films caught All-Pro cornerback Tyrann Mathieu delighting in the observation that Johnson is a bigger version of Marshall Faulk, a Hall of Famer widely regarded as the greatest receiving back in NFL history.

In training camp, Arizona general manager Steve Keim piled on the praise for his second-year running back in an interview with ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.

“He’s got rare and unusual skills I’ve never seen in a back, where he’s got an erect running style, yet at the same time he has tremendous lower flexibility and lateral quickness,” Keim said. “So that’s a weird combination, because usually those taller, upright guys are kind of straight-legged and stiff. This guy’s got an unusual knack of being able to pick and slide and do some things laterally. And then his receiving and ball skills are second to none.

“I mean, probably the best receiving back I’ve seen.”

In his rookie season, Johnson caught 36 passes for 457 yards and four touchdowns. His yardage total ranked seventh among NFL running backs, despite the fact that he started only five games. Now that Johnson has nailed down the starting spot and is a focal point of Arizona’s potent offense, his receiving totals should only increase in 2016.

The Cardinals dropped their season opener to the New England Patriots last Sunday night — a game in which Johnson caught four passes for 43 yards.

Arizona’s Andre Ellington received honorable mention on Wesseling’s list.

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