NFC Notes: Paris Johnson Jr., Boye Mafe, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks

Cardinals

Cardinals OT Paris Johnson Jr. finished his rookie campaign on a high note despite getting off to a shaky start. Johnson is eager to become one of the league’s best offensive linemen in year two and is excited to work with the added talent on the roster.

“Yeah, I think personally, just Year 2, being able to fulfill all of the expectations that I have for myself, expectations that the team has for me being here. My goal ultimately is to be the best tackle in the game,” Johnson said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

“Obviously, playing with the guys we have on this team, being able to have Marv as a weapon, I think it’s just explosive. I just love the guys we have on our offense, and I expect this offense to be one of the top in the country.”

Rams

Rams second-round DT Braden Fiske said he was surprised to be selected in the second round by Los Angeles after not spending a lot of time with them in the pre-draft process. 

“I was definitely surprised,” Fiske said. “Because I’ve talked about it many times in the pre-draft process, every team kind of plays their cards differently of how they show interest, the way that they recruit you, how they get to know you, how they kind of do their background checks on you. I didn’t really do anything with the Rams, hadn’t really heard much from them, hadn’t really talked to any of them at the all-star games or the combine.”

Fikse points out that Los Angeles didn’t have another selection in the 2024 NFL Draft until No. 52 and didn’t expect them to trade up for him. 

“When it did happen, it was a big surprise to me,” Fiske said. “I wasn’t expecting the Rams – because they didn’t have a selection until a few picks later – but they jumped up and got me and I couldn’t be in a better situation. Where I’m at now with this coaching staff, this is probably the best situation I could have been put in.”

Seahawks

When appearing on the Green Light with Chris Long, Seahawks EDGE Boye Mafe had high praise of HC Mike Macdonald and is learning how his new coach deploys players 

“I see how it’s flowing and the essence of it,” Mafe said. “He’s really one of those people, like Xs and Os, he understands it really well. He understands football really well and he understands how to utilize people, how to move people. That’s one thing I’m coming to learn, I see where it comes from and how it works.”