From Lennard High Star to NFL Trailblazer: Diontae Johnson's Journey of Overcoming the Odds

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson defied the odds, becoming Lennard High's first NFL player despite being overlooked in high school

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) reaches for an incomplete pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson needs to prove himself – again.

Beginning at Lennard (Fla.) High School in Florida, continuing as a Mid-American Conference (MAC) wide receiver and ongoing as an NFL competitor, Johnson finds himself once more grappling for personal recognition.

Overlooked could be the best way to describe Johnson’s football career, from the prep level to the pros.

Johnson dressed for Sunday’s 24-19 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, but play a snap. When Ravens teammate Rashod Bateman departed in the fourth quarter, the 2021 Pro Bowler remained on the sidelines. In five games since being acquired from the Carolina Panthers at the trade deadline, Johnson has one catch for six yards. He has been targeted six times and Ravens coach John Harbaugh provide a reason.

“I’m not really ready to comment on that right now,” Harbaugh said, as reported by the Baltimore Banner. “I will be; just don’t have enough information right now to talk about that.”

Diontae Johnson: ‘I'm a diamond in the rough’

Johnson has felt like he was invisible before.

Despite proving his on-field versatility as Lennard’s quarterback, receiver, defensive back and punt and kickoff returner and earning all-county and all-state recognition in 2014, Johnson was tagged with zero stars from national recruiting services. He did not garner a single Power 5 scholarship offer. His offer list included Alcorn State, Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Toledo, the program he eventually joined and quickly thrived.

Diontae Johnson
2015
Lennard High School pic.twitter.com/jtMt9keJnN

— BCP SPORTS (@BigCountyPreps1) July 25, 2014

Proximity a part in Johnson's failure to generate much attention from major-college recruiters. Lennard, which opened in 2006, was far from a traditional power. When Johnson was a sophomore and junior, the Longhorns won just one game. As a senior, however, Johnson led the program to its best mark (8-3).

Lennard’s coach at the time, Keith Chattin, called Johson one of the school’s all-time top playmakers.

"(He) is certainly in the top five if not the top two," Chattin told The Observer News in February 2015. "We have sent plenty of kids to college and Division 1 schools, but he is the most versatile kid we have ever had."

Still, Johnson struggled to get noticed.

"Since high school a lot of schools (in college) overlooked me,” Johnson said during an offseason press conference with the Panthers. “Once I got to Toledo, I knew my game was going to speak for itself. I knew once I made plays, (NFL scouts) were going to find me wherever I was at. I did that and they the plays I made, seen the talent.

“I feel like I'm a diamond in the rough.”

Johnson became 1st NFL player from Lennard

Toledo forged Johnson into a game-breaker. In 39 games, Johnson hauled in 134 receptions, including 74 as a sophomore in 2017. Finally, he was starting to get noticed.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Johnson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, becoming the first Lennard product to play in the league.

Two seasons later, Johson registered career highs in receptions (107), yards (1,161) and touchdowns (eight). In 2022, Johnson recorded , but failed to reach the end zone, establishing an NFL record for amassing the most receiving yards without a touchdown.

In 2019 Diontae Johnson (18) was selected in the third round of NFL Draft and became the first Lennard High (Florida) football player to reach the NFL. / Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images

Another year, another chip.

Johnson maintained his belligerence when the Panthers traded for him last March.

“I'm just going to continue to keep and I'll carry that chip wherever I go because I still get overlooked and I feel like I don't get the respect I deserve sometimes,” Johnson said. “That just makes me go harder and I'm going to prove to everyone in the league that I'm one of the best separators out there.”

He must again prove himself, this time to Harbaugh and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

"As a receiver, I would say, obviously, you want the ball,” Johnson said.

But being passed over – again.

Lennard officials, however, continued to notice Johnson’s professional achievements. The Longhorns planned to retire his jersey last fall. That would make two. His number at Toledo also is retired.

Not bad for someone who endured years of compiling chips on his shoulder.