When the Arizona Cardinals came on the clock with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they elected to trade down rather than take someone right there. The Houston Texans came up to that spot and took edge rusher Will Anderson, while the Cards dropped down to No. 12.
Three picks later, though, the Cardinals moved right back up, jumping from 12 to 6, where they nabbed former Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. Johnson went on to start at right tackle and play every single snap for the Arizona offense during his rookie season. And now, he has some big goals.
"Yeah, I think personally, just Year 2, being able to fulfill all of the expectations that I have for myself, expectations that the team has for me being here. My goal ultimately is to be the best tackle in the game," Johnson told NFL Network.
Johnson had a solid, if unspectacular rookie season. He was whistled for the fourth-most penalties among tackles, and he struggled a bit on pass protection. Johnson allowed 42 pressures in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus, 16th-most among all NFL tackles. And among the 43 tackles who pass blocked on at least 500 snaps, Johnson allowed pressured at the 16th-highest rate (6.15%). So, he still has a good ways to go before being an above-average tackle, let alone the best in the league.
Still, he has a lot of talent, and rookies who start every game of their team's season at tackle are at least somewhat rare. It also wouldn't be the first time we saw a highly-drafted tackle struggle a bit in pass protection during his debut season, then quickly show improvement. Just recently, Giants star Andrew Thomas had that type of growth path.
But Johnson doesn't just have high expectations for himself; he has them for the Cardinals' offense as a whole.
"Obviously, playing with the guys we have on this team, being able to have [Marvin Harrison Jr.] as a weapon, I think it's just explosive," Johnson said. "I just love the guys we have on our offense, and I expect this offense to be one of the top in the country."
Arizona finished last season with a better offense than expected considering that Kyler Murray missed most of the year recovering from the torn ACL that ended his 2022 campaign. The rushing offense was better than the pass offense, though Murray's return and the introduction of Harrison into the receiving corps should help take things to the next level. And if Johnson -- who is moving from the right side of the left this year -- can take the next step, that will only make things easier for Murray, which will in turn lead to better opportunities for everyone else.
