Paris Johnson Jr. (born July 3, 2001) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was selected by the Cardinals sixth overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Johnson Jr. is the son of football player and coach Paris Johnson.
![]() Johnson (77) with Ohio State in 2022 | |||||
No. 70 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||
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Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | July 3, 2001||||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||
Weight: | 313 lb (142 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Princeton (Sharonville, Ohio) | ||||
College: | Ohio State (2020–2022) | ||||
NFL draft: | 2023 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||
Career history | |||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early life
editJohnson was born on July 3, 2001, in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He attended St. Xavier High School before transferring to Princeton High School as a senior in 2019, where he won the Anthony Muñoz Award.[2][3] The top-ranked offensive tackle of the class of 2020, he chose to attend Ohio State University.[4]
College career
editJohnson played in five games as a freshman in 2020, including at offensive guard due to an injury in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship, and started every game at right guard the following season.[2] He moved to left tackle as a junior in 2022, where he was named a consensus All-American.[4][5][6]
Professional career
editHeight | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Broad jump | Bench press | |||||||
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6 ft 6+3⁄8 in (1.99 m) |
313 lb (142 kg) |
36+1⁄8 in (0.92 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
29 reps | |||||||
All values from NFL Combine[7][8] |
Johnson Jr. was selected sixth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 NFL draft.[9][10] As a rookie, he started in all 17 games for the Cardinals in the 2023 season.[11]
Personal life
editParis Johnson Jr. is the son of Paris Johnson, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL draft as a safety and spent one season with them before being released.[12] He majored in journalism at Ohio State, writing several articles for their student newspaper The Lantern before graduating in December 2022.[2][13] Johnson founded a charity foundation under his name in high school; it was awarded the 2022 Armed Forces Merit Award for their work in raising more than $10,000 to assist military veterans, student-athletes, and the homeless.[14] He speaks Mandarin Chinese and some Portuguese, having studied the former since late childhood and the latter after gaining an interest in visiting Brazil.[15]
References
edit- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Paris Johnson Jr., Offensive Lineman, Ohio State Buckeyes". SI.com. April 27, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Paris Johnson Jr". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. January 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Carpenter, Zack (January 3, 2020). "Paris Johnson Jr. Named Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year". elevenwarriors.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Baird, Nathan (April 2, 2022). "Ohio State football's Paris Johnson Jr., finally home at left tackle this spring, cannot take destiny for granted". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Strom, Griffin (December 25, 2021). "Paris Johnson Jr. Eager to Transition Back to Offensive Tackle in 2022 After Year Spent at Right Guard". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Baird, Nathan (December 14, 2022). "Ohio State football's Marvin Harrison Jr., Paris Johnson Jr. reach exclusive All-America honors". Cleveland.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Paris Johnson Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Paris Johnson Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Dermer, Shelby (April 27, 2023). "Paris Johnson Jr. drafted by Arizona Cardinals in first round of 2023 NFL Draft". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Urban, Darren (April 27, 2023). "After Second Trade, Cardinals Pick Up Paris Johnson In First Round". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ "Paris Johnson 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ Urban, Darren (April 28, 2023). "Paris Johnson Jr. Begins To Write His Story As A Cardinal". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ Harrison, Phil (December 18, 2022). "Seven Ohio State football players graduate on Sunday". Buckeyes Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Richardson, Steve (November 11, 2022). "Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation selected as 2022 Merit Award recipient". SportsWriters.net. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Bill (December 30, 2021). "Buckeyes' Paris Johnson excels at football, but his passion and caring extend beyond the field". Yahoo News. The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 20, 2022.