Player
Theo Johnson
TE · Giants
Draft capital is how teams signal confidence; outpacing every non-first-round TE in your class by Year 2 is the kind of ROI the Giants need to justify the investment in the offense.
Only pick 13 outgained pick 107: among the 2024 TE draft class, Theo Johnson led all non-first-round TEs in 2025 receiving yards.
Comparison2024 TE draft class — 2025 receiving yards
| Player | Pick | Round | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Bowers | 13 | 1 | 680 | 7 |
| Theo Johnson | 107 | 4 | 528 | 5 |
| AJ Barner | 121 | 4 | 519 | 6 |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | 101 | 4 | 190 | 1 |
| Ben Sinnott | 53 | 2 | 114 | 1 |
Among all 12 TEs drafted in 2024, only Brock Bowers — the 13th overall pick — had more receiving yards in Year 2 than Theo Johnson, who came off the board 94 picks later at pick 107.
The 2nd-round pick (Sinnott, 114 yds) and the 3rd-round pick (Reiman, 18 yds) were both outgained by the Giants' 4th-rounder. Theo finished 9 yards ahead of AJ Barner (pick 121) to claim the top slot among the 2024 Day-2/3 TE class.
Why it matters. Draft capital is how teams signal confidence; outpacing every non-first-round TE in your class by Year 2 is the kind of ROI the Giants need to justify the investment in the offense.
When Russell Wilson was benched in Week 4, Theo Johnson went from 16.3 to 39.9 receiving yards per game — and scored all 5 of his touchdowns.
SplitTheo Johnson 2025: production by QB era
| QB era | Games | Rec | Yds | Rec/G | Yd/G | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson (Wks 1–3) | 3 | 6 | 49 | 2.0 | 16.3 | 0 |
| Post-Wilson (Wks 4–16) | 12 | 39 | 479 | 3.2 | 39.9 | 5 |
In Weeks 1–3 with Russell Wilson at QB, Theo managed just 6 catches for 49 yards across three games — a quiet 16.3 ypg. Once Jaxson Dart took over in Week 4, Johnson's per-game production jumped to 39.9 yards and he scored all 5 of his 2025 touchdowns.
The underlying shift: Dart's offense opened up more vertical routes for Johnson, as evidenced by his air-yards share rising from ~12% with Wilson to 17% for the season — placing him in the top 10 among TEs in that metric.
Why it matters. A 144% yards-per-game increase after the QB change reveals that Johnson's value is scheme-dependent — his ceiling with Dart at the helm is meaningfully higher than his Wilson-era floor, making Dart's continued development directly tied to Johnson's production.
Theo Johnson averaged 42.4 receiving yards per road game in 2025 vs 27.0 at home — the largest away/home gap among productive TEs in the league.
AnomalyTheo Johnson 2025: home vs away
| Venue | G | Rec | Yds | Rec/G | Yd/G | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 7 | 15 | 189 | 2.1 | 27.0 | 2 |
| Away | 8 | 30 | 339 | 3.8 | 42.4 | 3 |
Away/home ratio — TEs averaging 25+ ypg in 2025
| Player | Away YPG | Home YPG | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Johnson | 42.4 | 27.0 | 1.57× |
| Colby Parkinson | 36.8 | 23.4 | 1.57× |
| AJ Barner | 36.1 | 24.3 | 1.49× |
| Isaiah Likely | 30.2 | 22.3 | 1.35× |
| Mason Taylor | 33.6 | 25.1 | 1.34× |
Johnson's four best receiving games of 2025 — 77 yds (DET), 75 yds (CHI), 72 yds (WAS), 66 yds (DEN) — were all on the road. His home ceiling was 36 yards (vs Green Bay in Week 11).
Among TEs averaging at least 25 yards per game, Theo's 1.57× away/home ratio was tied for the highest split in the league in 2025.
Why it matters. A persistent road advantage often signals the player thrives in uptempo, pass-heavy game plans — away teams trailing tend to throw more, funneling volume to reliable checkdown TEs; Johnson capitalizing at a league-leading rate suggests real route-running and YAC upside.
Theo Johnson's 5 receiving TDs in 2025 are the 2nd-most ever by a second-year Giants tight end — trailing only Kevin Boss (6, 2008).
RareMost receiving TDs by a 2nd-year NYG TE (since 2000)
| Player | Season | TDs | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Boss | 2008 | 6 | 12 |
| Theo Johnson | 2025 | 5 | 15 |
| Jake Ballard | 2011 | 4 | 14 |
| Dan Campbell | 2000 | 3 | 11 |
| Evan Engram | 2018 | 3 | 11 |
Since 2000, only Kevin Boss (6 TDs in 2008, his second year) has posted more receiving touchdowns as a second-year Giants tight end than Theo Johnson.
Johnson's 5 TDs also led all NYG wide receivers and tight ends in 2025 — ahead of Wan'Dale Robinson (4), Malik Nabers (2), and Daniel Bellinger (2). A second-year TE leading the team's pass-catchers in touchdowns is rare for any franchise, let alone one with multiple veteran wide receivers.
Why it matters. TDs measure red-zone trust; the Giants running their sophomore TE as their primary scoring option in the passing game ahead of veteran WRs signals where the offensive coordinator sees the offense going long-term.
In just his second NFL season, Theo Johnson led all Giants pass-catchers in receiving TDs — ahead of Robinson, Nabers, Slayton, and every other WR or TE.
TrendNYG receiving TDs 2025 — WRs and TEs
| Player | Pos | Rec TDs | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Johnson | TE | 5 | 45 | 528 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | 4 | 92 | 1014 |
| Malik Nabers | WR | 2 | 18 | 271 |
| Daniel Bellinger | TE | 2 | 19 | 286 |
| Darius Slayton | WR | 1 | 37 | 538 |
A second-year player leading the team's wide receivers and tight ends in receiving touchdowns is unusual. Johnson scored in 4 different games, including a 2-TD outing vs New Orleans in Week 5, and finished with 5 receiving TDs — one more than Wan'Dale Robinson (4) and two more than Malik Nabers (2).
For context: Johnson was selected with a 4th-round pick (107th overall). Nabers was the 6th overall selection in 2024. The Giants' sophomore TE out-scored him in the end zone.
Why it matters. Red-zone target allocation is a near-direct proxy for coaching trust; Johnson earning that allocation over a former top-6 pick and a $100M wide receiver in just Year 2 is the arc of a player ascending to a featured role.
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