OT Paris Johnson Jr. Scouting Report: The Best Run Blocker In The 2023 Draft

Tackle Parris Johnson Jr. hasn’t received a ton of recognition in the draft process so far, but he fits the bill for what you look for in a franchise Tackle prospect. He has the prototypical size and athleticism for an LT and will be entering the league with good run-blocking traits. Coming out of high school, he was a five-star recruit and played his first year as a starter at right guard. He was a very good run blocker at RG but struggled in pass-pro. Since converting to Tackle, his pass protection has significantly improved, which is a great sign to see. He didn’t have a lot of wowing highlights, but he showed a lot of traits that will translate to the pros and was consistent in pass-pro. There are a lot of things he needs to improve, but the upside is clearly there. His strengths and weaknesses will all be broken down here in a comprehensive manner.

Two games from his Sophomore year, as well as three games from his Junior year, were evaluated. This scouting report includes grades on all relevant traits which were based on his film. Stats and analytics, such as PFF grades, were also factored into his scouting report. Thank you to both TFG and PFF for inspiring this draft content. Please leave your feedback on Twitter, @FBIntellect.

Clip Analysis

In this clip above, Johnson Jr. initially gives up the inside but he then recovers and uses his massive wingspan to grab hold of the pass rusher.

In this clip, he isn’t in a traditional pass set, but he manages to push the EDGE five yards upfield to allow the QB to scramble. This is both a good technique and great raw power.

Here he shows off his high-end athleticism and makes a great block leaving the linebacker on the ground.

Grades

Overall Draft Grade: 77.9

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

Player Notes

Paris Johnson Jr. Bio

• Paris Johnson Jr. is a prototypical left Tackle with very high-end athletic traits which makes him a good fit as a long-term LT in a wide-zone running scheme.

Pros

• He has shown to have a very high-level character.
• Has the needed size and arm length to be a high-end pass blocker one day; he reportedly has 35.5-inch arms which would fall into the 95th percentile.
• He has shown massive improvement from year two to year three. Had very poor assignment awareness playing as a RG in his sophomore year. Was constantly getting beat one-on-one in pass-pro and would get away with holds. He then only gave up only 10 pressures after moving to LT.
• Has the athleticism to recover well when he gets beat.
• he’s explosive out of his sets and has excellent get-off as a run blocker.
• Excels at sealing off the edge on outside zone runs.
• Is good at latching on to the pass rusher’s chest.
• Has great balance and has the needed anchor to take on power rushers.
• There were a good amount of pancakes seen in his film.
• Has great timing on his hand placement, paired with a powerful grip.

Cons

• Has a tendency to lean too far forward in his pass-pro sets.
• Wasn’t tasked with a lot of single teams in pass-pro – he’ll likely struggle early on in the pros.
• Often takes him a bit too long to recognize stunts and blitzes.
• He was inconsistent at getting depth in pass sets and had generally inconsistent technique.
• Could grow to be more powerful and have better functional strength in the run game.
• Doesn’t always get good leverage as a run-blocker.
• Could likely improve and have more strength with more mass on his frame.

Combine

40 yd:

10 yd:

Shuttle:

3 cone:

Broad:

Bench: 29

Arm Length: 36 1/4″

Hand Size: 9 1/2″

Scales And Keys

Grading Key

POT – Potential: players’ highest upside

IMP – Impact: player’s immediate impact