Quentin Johnston turning heads on first day of training camp

It took less than a single training camp practice for fans to succumb to the oohs and awes as they watched rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston go through agility drills and run routes during the team’s first session together.

Before the team got to their seven-on-seven period, receivers were videotaped warming up on the agility ladders off to the side of the field. Keenan Allen led off the group with his usual elite footwork. However, Johnston followed him up and seemed to run through the same drill but at a speed reminiscent of someone hitting the fast-forward button on a VCR.

That was the first highlight.

The second highlight came on one of the first reps of seven-on-seven when Johnston was lined up on the outside against second-year cornerback Deane Leonard. At the snap, the receiver inside Johnston ran a clearing route to open up underneath. Johnston then used a diamond release — basically a bent stem going outside to inside — into a slant route that he broke off instantaneously for an easy grab that allowed him to gain some yards after the catch.

Later on in the session, Herbert found Johnston again on a rollout pass to his left where he hit a motioning Johnston who snuck out of the backfield undetected. While it wasn’t necessarily a highlight in the usual sense, it further showed Kellen Moore’s determination to get his playmakers in the best position possible on the field to make plays.

Overall, the next few weeks will be filled with highlight-reel plays from training camp, but I promise you no one is going to get tired of them anytime soon.