It was another night to remember for Ohio State players in the 2023 NFL draft. Three more Buckeyes were selected in the first round of the draft, extending OSU’s lead as the program with the most first-round selections and making it the first to 90.
C.J. Stroud went off the board as the No. 2 pick to the Houston Texans, followed by Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6 to Arizona and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The dream come true for all three players started before the draft began with a walk on the red carpet. All three attended the festivities. We had some photographers on hand to capture that and each of the trio’s individual walk across the stage when their names were called.
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Here are some of the best photos of the three Ohio State players on hand for the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Ohio State is in the history books with this achievement #GoBucks
At this point in the history of the NFL, it’s hard to be the first to do anything, but [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] did that Thursday night.
With three first-round selections (C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba), the Buckeyes became the first school in the history of the NFL draft with 90 players selected in the history of the initial round.
It’s a unique honor, one that shows Ohio State has had incredible longevity in producing some of the top players sent to the next level. There shouldn’t be any slowing in the future because the Buckeyes develop and recruit at a level that only a few schools can compete with.
The Cardinals got a plug and play tackle in Johnson Jr. #GoBucks
It was an interesting moment for the Arizona Cardinals, but they knew who they wanted, [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] offensive tackle [autotag]Paris Johnson Jr.[/autotag]
Reports of Cardinals quarterback [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] letting management know he wanted the All-American tackle from Ohio State hit the rumor mill, and many pegged him to land in Arizona.
When the Cardinals traded down from the third pick, it seemed they were not going to land Johnson Jr. But they moved back up to the sixth pick: They couldn’t resist getting the player their franchise quarterback wanted.
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It was a very good selection for the Cardinals and here are the reactions to Arizona selecting Paris Johnson Jr.
The pick no. 12 in the 2023 NFL draft, originally owned by the Cleveland Browns, has bounced around all over the top ten thus far. After the Houston Texans, who acquired the pick in the Deshaun Watson trade, traded it to the Arizona Cardinals to move up and grab pass rusher Will Anderson Jr., the Cards have now moved the pick as well. Trading up with the Detroit Lions, the Cardinals landed pick no. 6 to land Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
All in all, the Cardinals traded pick no. 12, pick no. 34, and pick no. 168 for pick no. 6 and pick no. 81 to the Detroit Lions.
The Cardinals had the worst roster in the NFL, and they now have a franchise left tackle in Paris Johnson Jr.
(AP Photo/David Dermer)
The Cardinals came into this draft with the NFL’s worst roster, so trading down with the Texans for more picks, and then trading up with the Lions? Well… m’kay. They also didn’t get my best offensive tackle in this class — that would be Tennessee’s Darnell Wright. But Johnson is the kind of player who, with a few refinements, has the look of a 10-year starter at left tackle. He’s pretty much plug-and-play.
Wingspan: 85⅛” (95th) Arm Length: 36⅛” (96th) Hand Size: 9½” (13th)
Bio: Johnson moved from St. Xavier to Princeton High in the Cincinnati area, and started working out with former Bengals and Ravens tackle Willie Anderson while still in high school. To bring up another former Bengals tackle, Johnson was awarded the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year honor in 2019, given the best high school offensive lineman in the country. The five-star recruit and No. 1 offensive lineman in the nation committed to Ohio State, but rescinded that commitment when Urban Meyer left. Johnson visited multiple schools in the interim, but re-committed to the Buckeyes. He started all 13 games at right guard in 2021, moving to left tackle for the 2022 campaign.
Stat to Know: Johnson allowed two sacks and 14 total pressures in his first season as Ohio State’s left tackle. Both sacks and eight total pressures came in True Pass Sets — PFF’s pass-blocking metric which excludes plays with less than 4 rushers, play action, screens, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under 2 seconds.
Strengths: At his best as a pass-protector, Johnson combines his impressive wingspan with a strong base and good technique. On snaps like this, and protecting a mostly pocket-bound quarterback in C.J. Stroud (little did we know until the Georgia game), Johnson is perfectly capable of erasing opponents who are trying to get to his quarterback.
As a run-blocker, Johnson hits the second level not only with aggressive intent, but also a nice sense of hitting and negating his target. He did just that here to Iowa’s Jack Campbell, who placed second on our list of draftable linebackers.
Weaknesses: Power can be a problem for Johnson at times. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness (No. 8 in our edge defender rankings) presented issues for him by putting his hands on his chest and just pushing him back. Johnson will need to watch his timing in his pass sets to avoid these kinds of things in the NFL.
Johnson’s relative inexperience overall at left tackle shows up when he’s asked to pick up stunts, deal with rushers by foiling them with independent hand usage, and get his feet quiet to present his best possible counters to opponents.
Conclusion: Johnson looks every bit the ideal left tackle, and with more experience at the position, he will likely make that ideation a reality. He combines power, technique, and agility into a very appealing package, and if he’s the first offensive lineman taken in the 2023 draft, it would come as a surprise to nobody.
NFL Comparison: D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2006 draft out of Virginia, Ferguson combined athletic ability with developed power to make three Pro Bowls in his 10-year career. Ferguson occasionally dealt with bouts of iffy protection, but overall, he availed himself well in the run and pass games. Johnson could rise to that level over time.
Johnson makes it another Ohio State player taken in the first round of the NFL draft. #GoBucks
Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. has been selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. With the sixth pick, the Arizona Cardinals selected what is widely considered the No. 1 offensive tackle in this year’s draft class.
Out of Cincinnati, Ohio, Johnson Jr. committed to OSU in 2020 as a five-star prospect and was inserted into the fray on the offensive line as a freshman. Paris played in 31 games with Ohio State during his three seasons with the program between 2020-22, and he started 26 consecutive games in 2021 and 2022.
In 2022, Johnson Jr. earned unanimous All-America honors as a
left tackle by the Walter Camp Foundation, Football Writers Association of America, and American Football Coaches Association. He was also named First-Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.
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March 5, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana; Ohio State offensive lineman Paris Johnson, Jr. (OL24) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Possessed with a rare blend of power and athleticism, Johnson Jr. is light on his feet and equally adept at pass protection and run blocking, and he’s only tapped into the high ceiling he possesses. He could very well be an All-Pro not too far down the line for the Cardinals.
Because of all their success in the NFL draft, we track all of the OSU players as they’re taken with our Ohio State football draft tracker so you can follow along.
This year, it’s looking like three Buckeyes could be off the board in the first round, with many more to follow in the rounds following that. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is a virtual lock to go very, very early despite the recent, unwarranted news and concerns that have been drummed up as of late, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is going to make a quarterback very happy, and Paris Johnson Jr. has a good chance of being the future anchor of an NFL team’s offensive line.
So follow along as we provide updates in real-time when every single Ohio State player is selected throughout the 2022 NFL draft.
Make sure to check out Cory Bonini’s latest mock draft of 2023.
Here’s my updated 2023 NFL mock draft. Be sure to check our NFL Draft Central page for the rest of our mocks, player scouting reports, and post-draft analysis of every key pick relevant to fantasy football.
2023 NFL mock draft 4.0
*Note: Miami forfeited its No. 21 overall selection for tampering.
**Note: Projected trade
A final look at where Ohio State players could land in the NFL draft Thursday through Saturday. #GoBucks
It is finally here.
The NFL draft is a year-round speculative monster these days, and we’ve heard about every possible scenario, twists, turns and train wrecks leading up to the big day that is finally here.
Don’t believe us?
Wait and see what how long it takes for the projections of next year’s NFL draft to come out after the curtain falls in Kansas City on Saturday night.
Of course, if you are here, then you’re mining for Ohio State football content on your favorite Buckeye players and where they might land. If so, you’ve come to the right place if you trust us at all (and I mean, who CAN you really trust with NFL mock drafts?).
We’ve sat back, watched, read the Buckeye leaves, and all the various NFL mock drafts and are ready to make the final call on where we believe all Ohio State football players eligible for the draft might land. The keyword is might, and we probably could have used a more scientific method of lining up all the players and teams and throwing darts and flipping coins to determine it all.
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Nevertheless, here is where we believe each Buckeye could potentially land starting Thursday through Saturday in the 2023 NFL draft. Lock it in — or at least write it all down in pencil and have a mammoth eraser nearby.
