Diontae Johnson: 'I Feel Like I'm a Diamond in the Rough'

New year, new team, same chip on the shoulder for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

Diontae Johnson has already proved that he can be a high caliber receiver in the NFL, but the chase for greatness is not complete.

He's been counted out dating back to his high school days at Lennard in Ruskin, Florida. Coming out of high school, Johnson only yielded offers from Alcorn State, Ball State, Eastern Illinois, and the school he would ultimately end up playing for, Toledo.

Even during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, there were moments where people around the league doubted him pointing directly to his issues with drops. But it wasn't all on him, though. He didn't want to "knock" any of the quarterbacks he played with in Pittsburgh, but I will.

The QB play was far from ideal during his five-year stint in the Steel City. Ben Roethlisberger missed essentially all of Johnson's rookie season, but proceeded to have the best two years of his career with Big Ben healthy. Since his retirement, the Steelers have had a rotating door at quarterback and you'd have to imagine that's played a role in Johnson's inconsistencies.

This offseason, Pittsburgh shipped Johnson to Carolina in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson. The chip he's carried on his shoulder since high school just got a little bigger.

"Since high school a lot of schools (in college) overlooked me. Once I got to Toledo I knew my game was going to speak for itself. I knew once I made plays they were going to find me wherever I was at. I did that and they seen the plays I made, seen the talent. I feel like I'm a diamond in the rough. I'm just going to continue to keep elevating 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. 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."

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