Buffalo Bills: 5 offensive linemen to target in the 2022 NFL Draft
G Zion Johnson, Boston College
Measurables: 6-3, 315 lbs.
Zion Johnson is a very experienced, powerful guard. He is widely regarded as the best run blocker in the draft class, and that comes as no surprise considering he played in a triple-option offense for two seasons in college. He has shown that he can run block at a high level in multiple different run schemes.
For the first time in his career, Johnson shifted outside to play left tackle during the 2020 season and was very successful. However, this campaign, he returned to his more familiar left guard position, reflecting his likely NFL position.
Johnson has excellent strength to go along with great hand placement. At only 315 pounds, he is an outstanding athlete at guard, and that helps him significantly in the passing games where smaller linemen cannot get by Johnson because of his athleticism and strength.
In addition to that Johnson has very good football intelligence when it comes to different way defenses attack linemen. Just look at how he takes care of this blitzer in the video below from Ben Fennell of CBS Sports:
Just a little chicken wing on the blitzer from Zion Johnson pic.twitter.com/bZ6W88ltc7
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) October 20, 2021
Where Johnson struggles is when teams bring complex stunts and blitzes in front of him. While this is very coachable at the next level, he takes too much time to identify blitzes and defensive line stunts, sometimes leading to pass protection breakdown.
What makes Johnson such a strong prospect is that his weaknesses are all coachable, and he does not lack any significant trait you want in a guard. Johnson projects as a day one starter, and while he may need to adjust slightly to the speed and strength of an NFL defensive lineman, he has all the tools necessary to become an outstanding NFL guard.