If the Denver Broncos want to draft Bo Nix's brother -- Oregon star wide receiver Tez Johnson -- they might not have much resistance. Johnson was the lightest player to ever check in at the NFL Scouting Combine at 154 pounds, and he ran an exceptionally disappointing 4.51 in the 40-yard dash.
It's extremely rare to see a player with that size and timed speed go anywhere near the top 100 picks in the NFL Draft, as good as Johnson's tape may be.
Johnson is Bo Nix's adoptive brother. He moved in with the Nix family back in high school and wound up transferring to Oregon with Nix when the two were in the latter portion of their collegiate careers. They were a dynamic duo in Nix's final season with the Ducks in 2023.
As often as we saw Johnson running away from defenders on the field, folks in the NFL Draft world are really worked up about his 40-yard dash time in combination with his low weigh-in. It was reported by the NFL Network crew that Johnson has a nutritionist he's working with in order to put on some weight, and we'll undoubtedly see him improve his 40 time at the Oregon pro day.
But in the meantime...it seems like the damage has been done.
Broncos could steal Tez Johnson on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft
A player at Johnson's size who doesn't test exceptionally well in every other regard will often go late on Day 3 if they get drafted at all. There was some thought after the Senior Bowl where Johnson had a low weigh-in as well that he would struggle, but then he went out and dominated the practices.
At the Combine, he had another very confusing overall output...
Tez Johnson put together the weirdest workout composite of any WR.
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) March 2, 2025
Historically small at 154lbs (0th percentile)
Pedestrian 40 time relative to that size (4.51)
Only above average/good 10-split (1.53)
Elite 3-cone (6.65)
And clocked the fastest MPH of any WR during drills.
The last part of that post by Sam Monson is so huge. He had the fastest on-field MPH of any receiver during the drills, which confirms what a lot of people often say when a guy doesn't have great timed speed: He plays a lot faster than that.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network was absolutely flabbergasted to see Johnson run a 4.55 on his first 40-yard dash attempt. To run a 4.51 was an improvement, but more confirmation that Johnson's timed speed was just not good and is something he needs to work on.
It's going to be fascinating to see how much he can improve his weight and 40-time in conjunction with one another by the time his pro day rolls around. There is no guarantee that both can simultaneously get better. And as I previously stated, the damage may already be done.
The Broncos have three picks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Is it possible that Johnson could fall that far down the board? We projected him as a 4th-rounder in our latest Broncos mock draft, but it's entirely possible that this Combine workout will tank his stock for most teams.