OT Paris Johnson Jr. entering NFL Draft
Paris Johnson Jr. made it official: The Ohio State offensive lineman is entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
Johnson was a second-team All-Big Ten pick as a guard last season and made the first team at left tackle as a junior this season.
He was also a unanimous first-team All-American this season after moving to left tackle, his natural position, and he earned a degree in journalism last month.
Those were two goals he cited in his announcement on Tuesday.
“It has always been a dream of mine since I committed to the Ohio State University to leave with both my degree and a Buckeye
Tree (for being named an All-American),” he wrote in a message posted to social media. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to accomplish both in three years. After having several conversations with my coaches and family, I want to accomplish the first dream of mine since I was 5 years old, which is to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft.”
Johnson was a five-star prospect at Cincinnati St. Xavier and then Princeton High School in the class of 2020, and he will be considered one of the top prospects at his position heading into the NFL Scouting Combine.
Pro Football Focus ranks him the No. 2 tackle behind Peter Skoronski of Northwestern with a week go to until the deadline for underclassmen to enter the draft.
“I will forever bleed Scarlet & Gray and be eternally grateful of the experiences shared here,” Johnson said.
Johnson is the third Ohio State player to confirm he is entering the draft, joining receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and safety Ronnie Hickman.
The deadline for players to enter the draft is Jan. 16.
As members of the 2022 team finalize their plans for the future, more than half of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class began its college journey Monday with the start of spring semester.
The 12-man group of early enrollees includes Lakota West safety Malik Hartford, Lakota East offensive lineman Austin Siereveld and Wayne offensive lineman Joshua Padilla.
Jelani Thurman, a tight end from Fairburn, Georgia, and the son of former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, also enrolled early along with receivers Noah Rogers (Rolesville, North Carolina), Bryson Rodgers (Zephyrhills, Florida) and Carnell Tate (Chicago); offensive lineman Miles Walker (Greenwich, Connecticut), defensive lineman Will Smith (Dublin, Ohio) and cornerback Jermaine Mathews (Cincinnati).
Three transfers also started school at Ohio State: former Syracuse safety Ja’Had Carter, former Kent State kicker Casey Magyar and former Arizona State long snapper John Perlmann, along with running back Willtrell Hartson, a preferred walk-on freshman from Massillon Washington.