OT, Ohio State
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 310 lbs
Class: Junior
A highly-touted high school prospect, Johnson was a five-star recruit and the No. 9 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class. He earned 48 offers from all of the biggest programs in the country, electing to commit to his home state Buckeyes. At the time of his commitment he ranked as their 11th highest ranked recruit of all time.
Johnson featured primarily on special teams as a true freshman, before earning the starting job at right guard in 2021. He earned Second Team All-Big Ten honours that year, and with the departure of Nicholas Petit-Frere he returned to his natural home at left tackle in 2022. Johnson shone in his new role, earning First Team All-Big Ten honours and being voted a Consensus All-American.
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Strengths
One of Johnson’s biggest strengths is his athletic profile. He is a noticeably fluid mover, with great explosiveness out of his stance. He possesses the foot quickness that you want to see from an offensive tackle and is comfortable working in space. Johnson pairs these movement skills with good size. He stands at 6’6″ and 313 lbs and possesses 36.1″ arms. That ranks in the 97th percentile amongst offensive tackle prospects.
This impressive collection of physical traits helps Johnson to excel in pass protection. He gets great depth out of his stance and he has the sharp footwork to mirror opposing edge rushers. He is agile enough to set well against speed rushers from wide alignments, whilst also having the size and length to compete against power rushers who seek to go through him. Johnson allowed just two combined sacks and hits in 2022, which is hugely impressive given that it was his first time starting at tackle.
Johnson also showcases some good potential as a run blocker. His athletic ability makes him a natural blocker in zone concepts, with the speed to execute reach blocks and wall off defenders. He is also adept when asked to work up to the second level off combo blocks or as a lead blocker on screens. Johnson also had some nice reps on gap scheme runs, particularly as a puller. This gives him the scheme versatility to success at the NFL level.
Teams are also going to love Johnson’s competitive toughness. He had a number of nasty finishes on his tape and he will keep fighting until the whistle is blown. When he is uncovered as a pass protector he is active in seeking out work. His effort also shows up on occasions where he loses the initial battle and he has the tenacity to adjust his hand placement and correct his block to recover the rep.
Weaknesses
The most notable weakness to Johnson’s game at present is his hand usage. Whilst he does have a quick punch and the ability to work his hands independently, his placement and timing remain erratic. He is often wide, landing outside the frame of the defender and making his life more difficult than it needs to be. He will also employ a two-hand punch, which was exploited by smarter edge rushers. Sometimes you will also see him lunge at opponents in pass protection and lower his head into contact.
Johnson would also benefit from adding more lower body strength. There were a number of times where he struggled to anchor against power rushers in pass protection. This could be an even more pronounced issue in the NFL. It also limits his ability to consistently move defenders with drive blocks in the running game.
Bottom Line
Johnson is an impressive athlete, with the size and length to succeed as an offensive tackle. He needs to refine his hand usage and improve his play strength, but he has already shown the ability to be a difference maker as both a run blocker and a pass protector.
Ideal role: Tackle in a wide zone scheme
Round projection: 1st round
