Tag: Paris Johnson Jr.

2023 NFL draft scouting report: OT Paris Johnson Jr.

Shaun Calderon gives an in-depth breakdown of OT Paris Johnson Jr. and how he’d fit with the Titans.

The next prospect that we’re going to cover in our scouting series is one of the most popular names that’s been attached to the Tennessee Titans all offseason long.

The connection between Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., and the Titans is pretty obvious to make.

For starters, Tennessee is coming off a horrendous season offensively, and a large reason for this is that the team couldn’t stay healthy, including Ryan Tannehill, who suffered an ankle injury largely due to the team’s inability to protect him.

The left tackle position in particular was the biggest weak spot on a disastrous offense. Truthfully, that’s probably underselling the type of ineptitude the team saw at the blindside in 2022.

Johnson is arguably the top tackle prospect in the class, and there is a lot to like about his game. This article is going to provide you with an educated opinion on Johnson’s overall potential as a pro prospect, while also discussing his potential fit with the Titans.

Before we get started, a quick reminder that all of the grades and individual rankings that are included are my own opinions after spending the last few months studying each of these individuals.

The Ohio State product is constantly being mocked to the Titans by fans and media members alike, so let’s find out exactly why so many are intrigued by the consensus All-American lineman

Multiple Ohio State players selected in latest ESPN 7 round mock NFL Draft

Lots of Buckeyes going off draft boards early in this mock #GoBucks

For all the [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] draft-eligible players, their hard work to make it to the highest level of football is almost over.

With the NFL combine and Ohio State pro day in the rearview mirrors, some players might have individual workouts or meetings with teams ahead of the NFL Draft.

With the selections beginning in just under a month, the draft picture is becoming much clearer. Free agents have signed, teams have made major trades, and now are digging into their scouting departments to find which players will work the best inside their system.

ESPN knows this and released Jordan Reid’s latest mock draft, a full seven-rounder that featured multiple Ohio State players. Find out where they were projected to land along with Reid’s reasoning behind the pick.

Patriots’ full 7-round 2023 mock draft 6.0

A full seven-round 2023 NFL mock draft for the Patriots after free agency.

The first wave of the NFL free agency period has come and gone, and the New England Patriots have seemingly dialed down the activity of moves. So it’s a perfect time for another mock draft.

As with the previous mock drafts, we have shifted to a what the Patriots will do, rather than what we would do approach. For anyone that has followed the team over the years, they typically have some surprises in store when the draft board goes live.

It’ll be fun to see how the real thing goes down in April. Until then, here is our latest seven-round 2023 NFL mock draft for the Patriots.

Bucs 2023 draft targets: Offensive Tackle

LT is arguably the Bucs’ weakest position, so here are a few players they can draft to address it:

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one glaring hole on the roster, it is at left tackle. After cutting longtime LT Donovan Smith, the Bucs have positioned themselves to revamp the position in this year’s draft.

For years, Donovan Smith had been a passable left tackle in Tampa. During Tom Brady’s run, his game appeared to elevate until last season, when injuries cost him substantial playing time and he played arguably his worst season since his rookie year.

Cutting Smith was both a means to upgrade the position and a cost-saving measure, opening up over $9 million in cap space. With Tampa still under a cap crunch, replacing Smith with another veteran who might actually upgrade the position is highly unlikely.

That leaves the NFL draft. Bucs general manager Jason Licht has been successful selecting offensive linemen during his tenure, picking the likes of All-Pro Tristan Wirfs and Pro Bowler Ali Marpet.

With 19th overall pick, odds are good that the Bucs will try to use the pick on one of the top offensive tackle prospects. There are several likely to go in the first round, each with unique circumstances impacting the Bucs’ likelihood of drafting them.

Here are the offensive tackles the Bucs could target in the 2023 NFL Draft:

Latest College Sports Wire NFL mock draft reshuffles three Ohio State players in first round

The latest look at where some of the Ohio State players are projected to go in the upcoming NFL draft from our very own Patrick Conn. #GoBucks

We’re getting ever so closer to the annual spectacle that is the NFL draft. All the hoopla and pomp and circumstance is set to take place in Kansas City from April 27 through April 29, and there’s sure to be plenty of Ohio State players littered throughout the three-day event.

Leading up to the real thing in late April, we are sure to see countless NFL mock drafts make the rounds over and over, but we are a little biased and like to follow our very own Patrick Conn as he releases updates on where things are headed.

In his latest College Sports Wire mock draft, Conn again has three Ohio State players going in the first round, but has the selection and landing spots shuffled a little since his last look.

Here’s the latest after a lot of free agency news with even more still to come.

Mel Kiper Jr. has three Ohio State players in his latest NFL mock draft

The latest from Kiper. Would you bet your most prized possession that C.J. Stroud is the guy at No. 1? #GoBucks

Perhaps nobody has thrown out NFL mock drafts longer and with more fanfare than ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. There are so many mock drafts these days, and so many different versions, it can be a little dizzying and confusing to follow them all.

Kiper continues to use his knowledge and connections to do the best he can to figure out all the shenanigans of the NFL draft, and he just dropped his most recent one (subscription required).

Three Ohio State players have continually been placed in the first round by most NFL draft experts, and Kiper falls right in line. He names three in the first round, but with different options and landing spots than in previous mocks. Here is where Kiper thinks C.J. Stroud and two other Buckeyes will be selected in the 2023 NFL draft in April.

What to watch with all fourteen players taking part in Ohio State football’s pro day Wednesday

Which of these 14 do you think will have the most productive NFL career? #GoBucks

It’s the time of year when NFL draft hopefuls strut their stuff. We’ve already seen some of the national players expected to go in the draft get prodded, poked, and interviewed during the NFL scouting combine, and now, that’ll be replaced by some of the bigger individual schools holding their own version of the event, called pro day.

For Ohio State, it’s an annual event that has a lot of potential NFL talent because of the football factory that it is, and it’s no different in 2023. There will be quite a large contingent on hand to witness C.J. Stroud and others go through some on-field workouts, and some of the event is even being televised by the NFL.

So what former Buckeyes can you expect to see on Wednesday? Here’s a list of all 14 Ohio State players expected to put their best foot forward during Ohio State football’s pro day and the narratives on each.

2023 NFL draft: Seahawks sending large contingent to Ohio State pro day

There are several other notable 2023 NFL draft prospects, though.

It’s Ohio State’s pro day and the Seahawks are rolling in deep. According to Jim Nagy, Seattle is sending eight people all together – and head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider will be among them. The main attraction is of course QB C.J. Stroud, who’s projected to come off the board at either No. 1 overall to the Panthers or No. 2 to the Texans. There are several other notable 2023 NFL draft prospects, though.

To name a few prospects who might interest Seattle:

DE Zach Harrison: Part of a deep edge class, Harrison totaled 11 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss in 40 games for the Buckeyes. He is projected to be a third-round draft pick.

OT Paris Johnson Jr.: Ranked the No. 1 OT in the draft class, Johnson will be out of reach for the Seahawks unless they take him first – which seems highly unlikely with Charles Cross and Abe Lucas projected to start long-term.

OT Dawand Jones: Then again, the Seahawks met with the gigantic Jones (6-foot-8, 360 pounds) at the combine, so we can’t rule out an OT pick yet. They also pushed hard to sign Trent Brown last year, so they may still want a monster to start at right tackle, then slide Lucas inside.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: An awesome 2021 season (95 catches, 1,606 yards, nine touchdowns) was enough to put Smith-Njigba high on the board. He is projected to be taken late in the first round – roughly around where Seattle will be picking at No. 20 overall.

C Luke Wypler: Free agent pickup Evan Brown is projected to start at center in 2023, but that shouldn’t the Seahawks from drafting one. Wypler is ranked No. 7 among all interior linemen in this class.

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C.J. Stroud moves all the way up in latest College Sports Wire NFL mock draft

Do you see C.J. Stroud going No. 1 like a lot of experts are now thinking? #GoBucks

The NFL draft is hard to keep up with. It has potential draftees moving up and down the board almost daily with all of the news, smokescreens, trades and rumors, and it certainly has been no different as we head into the 2023 draft.

This year though, Ohio State has one of the players that has a mighty fine chance at being the No. 1 overall pick, and the latest developments have many believing that he may just be the first name we hear called in the NFL draft. In fact, he’s now the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 after Carolina traded up with Chicago ahead of all the shenanigans that are set to take place in Kansas City.

Our College Wires draft expert, Patrick Conn, is also of the belief Stroud will go No. 1. He has moved him up the draft board to the top position. But that’s not the only OSU player he is tracking in his latest first-round NFL mock draft. No, there are two others that he believes will be receiving phone calls on Day 1.

Here’s the latest from Conn and where he believes three Buckeyes will land on the first day of the 2023 NFL draft.

Patriots met with big-name tackle prospects at NFL Scouting Combine

The Patriots are leaving no stone unturned at the offensive tackle position.

The New England Patriots met with several of the premier tackle prospects in the 2023 NFL draft, as tackle remains a pressing need.

The organization met with Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia’s Broderick Jones, and Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison over the course of last week, per Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar.

Johnson and Jones are projected first-round selections and figure to be hot commodities at the position.

New England struggled at the left tackle position last season, and several are set to hit free agency. Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, and Marcus Cannon are unrestricted free agents and will hit the market on March 15. That will leave an open spot for depth.

Trent Brown is the headliner at the position, as he started 16 games last season. Conor McDermott, who started six games last season, recently re-signed with the Patriots. There is also Andrew Stueber, the former Michigan product who missed last season with an injury.

New England has several needs heading into this year’s draft, with offensive line and wide receiver being two of the biggest on that list. It will be intriguing to see where players like Johnson and Jones go, and how that affects the draft strategy for the rest of the positions.

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