The NFL draft slide for Michigan cornerback Will Johnson stopped midway through the second round.
After being widely viewed as a top-10 pick early in the draft process, Johnson fell to No. 47 overall on Friday as teams had concerns about a knee injury potentially impacting his NFL career, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Arizona Cardinals were the beneficiary of a top talent dropping to them in the second round.
“This is an injury slide,” analyst Joel Klatt, who has called numerous Michigan games during Johnson’s career, said on the NFL Network draft broadcast. “Great instincts. He’s tough on the edge; he’s long. He reminds me of Patrick Surtain in that respect. He’s played since day one at Michigan. He just had a hard time getting on the field (because of injury). when I saw him play against the elite players like Marvin Harrison, he would win those battles on the outside. He’s a terrific player. He battled turf toe, then he’s got a knee condition that everybody was scared off from. Great value in the second.”
After Johnson helped Michigan win a national title in 2023 and earned first-team All-American honors, he was considered a top draft prospect entering his junior season. The former five-star recruit out of Grosse Pointe South was limited to six games in 2024 though and did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine or Michigan’s pro day in March.
When healthy, Johnson was one of the best cornerbacks in the country. The 6-foot-2, 194-pounder had 68 tackles and nine interceptions in 32 games over three seasons, including returning three for touchdowns.
“This is a heck of a pickup for Arizona,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “That’s really what pushed him down is the injury concerns, whether or not he’s going to be a guy who can get to a second contract and be a decades-long corner. It’s not a skill issue with him. This is a dude who, when you’re playing split safety schemes, meaning cover two, cover four, where he can play off the ball, he has fantastic closing quickness, fantastic instincts, and has finishing skills.”
ESPN analyst Field Yates said he likes the pickup for Arizona but said Johnson’s play on the field took a step back in 2024.
“A little bit of a gambling nature to him, but when you have this good of instincts and ball skills, it seemed to work out for him,” Yates said on the broadcast. “He had great protection his first two years of Michigan because of an outstanding pass rush and just good players in all three levels. This past year, he only played six games. There were times where I felt like he found himself taking too many gambles. I think (he has) enough speed and instincts.”
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah believes he will fit in well with Arizona.
“This is a Cardinals team that doesn’t play a ton of man, 23rd in the league,” Jeremiah said. “He’s going to be in a perfect scheme fit for his skill set.”
