Cardinals move up to select Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6

The Arizona Cardinals traded up to select Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, sixth overall.

The Cardinals sent the No. 12, No. 34, and No. 168 pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for the sixth overall selection and pick No. 81.

Arizona had been active in trades during Thursday's draft. They entered with the No. 3 selection but moved back to No. 12 following a trade with the Houston Texans before coming back up to grab Johnson.

Johnson is the first offensive lineman taken in the 2023 draft. The Ohio State product will be responsible for protecting quarterback Kyler Murray once he returns from the ACL tear that prematurely ended his 2022 campaign.

The Cardinals gave up 46 sacks last season, tied for ninth most in the NFL.

Pre-draft profile

Johnson is a fantastic athlete. His natural abilities were on full display in his first full season at left tackle in 2022, demonstrating impressive foot quickness and recovery speed in pass protection. He'll need to get stronger as he transitions to the NFL level in order to anchor against power rushers and more consistently move defenders off the ball in the run game, but that's a reasonable expectation for young linemen. Afforded the necessary time to develop in that regard, Johnson has the potential to become a high-level starter on the blind side.

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