Paris Johnson Rising Up NFL Draft Betting Odds Boards

If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to trade up to get Ohio State left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., in the 2023 NFL Draft the place they may need to move to in the draft seems to be rising.

Johnson is seeing his draft stock rise according to betting markets, after it was reported this week that the Arizona Cardinals may be seriously interested in taking him at No. 3 overall.

NFL Network reporter Mike Garafalo reported that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray likes Johnson and has told the new regime in Arizona that he’d prefer the big Buckeye tackle.

That prompted a move toward the top of the betting odds for Johnson, who is now the most likely to be taken at the No. 3 overall pick at +250, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Johnson has seen his stock rise in the final days of the process. His average draft position according to NFL Mock Draft Database in currently 13th, but has been picked higher than that in late-arriving mock drafts. His current consensus top pick is to go to the Chicago Bears at No. 9.

The Steelers have been reportedly in talks with the Bears about that pick and the Tennessee Titans about pick No. 11 in an effort to trade up and get a left tackle.

But if the Cardinals are truly interested in Johnson, trading up to that range may not be enough for the Steelers to get the top tackle in the draft class. There are others in that range, including Northwester’s Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones, that could still be worth trading up to get for the Steelers.

If not Johnson, the previous favorite for the Cardinals to pick had been Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson. Arizona is also a candidate to trade down from that spot.

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