College Football: Replacements for every first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

6. Ohio State football replacement for Paris Johnson Jr. (Cardinals): Josh Fryar or Josh Simmons

We could see a battle at Ohio State throughout the rest of the offseason, particularly in fall camp, for the right to replace Paris Johnson Jr. at left tackle in the 2023 season.

Josh Fryar is the established presence in Columbus along the O-line as he returns with the most experience at tackle with over 200 snaps played last season. He also was solid in the spring and seemed to be the obvious choice to take up the role moving forward.

With that said, Ryan Day recently inked Josh Simmons out of San Diego State in the transfer portal, which raises some questions about the plan at tackle. It’s entirely possible that the Buckeyes plan to have Fryar and Simmons be on the left and right side of the starting offensive line, respectively. Having said that, we could also see Simmons compete for the job on the left side.

7. Texas Tech football replacement for Tyree Wilson (Raiders): Isaac Smith

In many cases, when there is a first-round pick departing from a program that doesn’t consistently have players of that caliber in the program, replacing them is not only exceptionally difficult but also hard to identify as to who the replacement will be. That’s not so much the case at Texas Tech, though, as Joey McGuire was able to give us a preview at the end of last season as to who will step into Tyree Wilson’s shoes.

With Wilson missing games at the end of the year for the Red Raiders, it was Isaac Smith who got the call. Not only did he get the opportunity, though, he really shined, particularly as a highly disruptive presence against Ole Miss during bowl season. It’s a small sample size and there is depth on the roster, but we’ve already been given a clear indication from McGuire that he believes that Smith is next in line.