Deep dive into why the Chicago Bears should draft Paris Johnson, Jr.

Chicago Bears Draft: Paris Johnson, Jr. vs Broderick Jones

Let's now shift to PJJ versus Jones in terms of run blocking. Clearly, because of his superior strength at this point in time, Broderick Jones is the better run blocker. However, this is not to infer Paris is not a good or even very good run blocker. Here are some insights on PJJ as a run blocker. Thorn likes the way PJJ stays attached to his blocks in the run game. He calls PJJ a stick-run blocker once he gets his hands on a defender. Others have noted that PJJ blocks to the whistle in his run blocks. So it appears the Bears are not losing much in terms of run blocking to go with Paris over Broderick.

Every scouting report I have read about Paris Johnson Jr. includes that he has the potential to be an All-Pro left tackle. With his combo of measurable traits and intangibles, he is simply the complete package as a left tackle. This package includes intelligence as he is a journalism major. Given that Paris is a fierce competitor, smart, and has an affable personality, this leads me to believe he will develop into a leader. Strong leadership is a quality that readily leads to inspiring your teammates to play to the best of their abilities.

This is all not to ignore that he has areas to improve on. He needs to get stronger and make his anchor less movable. He also needs to learn how to more consistently use his extraordinary arm length to better use in pass protection. However, given that he has shown himself to be quite intelligent and a fierce competitor, it is quite reasonable for Chicago Bears fans to fully expect him to fix his flaws within a reasonable amount of time.

In Thorn's comparison of the two, he stated that Broderick is talented but raw as a blocker. The reasons for this are obvious. He only started one year in college. This is compared to Paris who started one year at right guard and then in 2022 played a full year at left tackle.