What happened to Michigan’s All-American cornerback Will Johnson?

Why did Will Johnson slide to the Cardinals at pick #47?

Following Michigan’s FBS Championship stunning 34-13 win over the University of Washington, had the 2024 NFL Draft taken place a week later, and had All-Amercian and FBS Championship Game Defensive MVP Will Johnson been eligible, he would have been the #1 ranked CB in the draft, and most likely a sure-fire Top 10 pick.

The first CB taken in the 2024 NFL Draft was Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo who was selected at pick #22 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell turned in a fantastic rookie season, helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. However, it would have very difficult to imagine that any NFL team would have ranked Mitchell higher than Will Johnson, given how brilliantly Johnson played under the brightest of lights at Michigan.

Following Michigan’s Natty, Jim Harbaugh jumped back into the NFL as HC of the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh’s replacement was Sherrone Moore, the Wolverine’s OC under Harbaugh and interim HC when Harbaugh was suspended.

In 2024, Michigan, having lost QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, WR Roman Wilson, G Zak Zinter and TE A.J. Barner was going to have rely even more heavily on their vaunted defense that was returning DT Mason Graham, CB Will Johnson, NT Kenneth Grant and ED Josiah Stweart and S Rod Moore.

As it turned out, Michigan, by their standards, had a rough season in 2024, finishing 7th in the Big Ten with a 5-4 conference record and 8-5 overall, including their two best wins of the season, a gritty 13-10 upset of the eventual national champion Ohio St. and their impressive 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

While the Michigan defense remained one of the best and most intimidating defenses in the country, they played the majority of their games without Will Johnsons due to shoulder and toe injuries.

Chronical of Will Johnson’s injuries:

• 2022 —- knee injury —- played through it —- 14 games
• Spring 2023 —- knee surgery —- “Johnson had an osteochondral autograft procedure, which involved transplanting healthy bone and cartilage from another part of his knee to repair damaged areas” (per Wikipedia) —- missed 1st three games of Michigan’s championship season —- played 12 games
• September 2024 —- shoulder injury —- caused him to miss 1 game
• October 2024 —- suffered ligament tears in his toe —- out for season after playing 6 games
• February 2024 —-hamstring injury at the Combine —- did not work out
• April 2024 —- at his personal Pro Day, he elected not to run the 40, yet ran a 4.33 short shuttle and popped a 33.5” vertical —- and looked smooth in position drills —- but left scouts wondering whether he was 100% healthy.
• April 2024 —- during the draft:

Why Michigan CB Will Johnson fell out of the 1st round of the NFL Draft – Maize n Brew

There are always twists and turns on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, but one of the biggest stunners was Michigan cornerback Will Johnson not being selected at all. The former five-star recruit was the Wolverines’ being defensive back over the last couple seasons and was a bona fide top-10 pick at one point during the draft process.

However, after missing half of the 2024 season due to injury and not being able to participate at the NFL Combine and Michigan’s Pro Day, teams began to get a little worried about Johnson’s health.

Thursday night in the midst of the first round, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that NFL teams are concerned about a “knee issue” that Johnson is dealing with.

This is rather interesting, considering Johnson had been dealing with a toe injury during the season that limited him to just six games. He also had a hamstring injury that prevented him from being able to participate at the combine. The knee injury appears to be a new issue, so that is incredibly concerning that he has now dealt with three separate lower-body injuries over the last six months or so.

Johnson is certainly talented enough to contribute at a high level in the NFL. During his time at Michigan, Johnson was a first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten player and was named the Defensive MVP in the National Championship. He set a school record for pick-sixes (3) and had nine total interceptions during his career. He only gave up two touchdowns in coverage as a Wolverine.

Hopefully a team takes a chance on Johnson during Day 2 of the draft.

Will Johnson’s Green Room and Day 2 2025 NFL Draft Experience: (great inside view)

Commentary:

Will Johnson, under the circumstances, was very impressive in this video. What was particularly endearing about him was to see the young man’s hopes, his love for his family and his heritage (as shared with the symbolic broach that his mom pinned on the lapel of his cream-colored jacket) —- plus his affinity for his teammates and genuine happiness for the other players in the Green Room whose names were called during Round 1, while his was not.

Going undrafted in the first round must have been excruciating for the young man and a player of his stature.

However, some NFL Super Bowl stars have known what it feels like to slide out the first round due to injuries —- like TE Rob Gronkowski and most recently, Will Johnson’s fellow 1st Team 2023 All-Big Ten CB Cooper DeJean, who, thanks to a stellar, fully-healthy rookie season, has already joined the likes of Super Bowl winners like Gronk.

• 2010 #42 pick —- TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
• 2024 #40 pick —- CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
• 2025 #47 pick —- CB Will Johnson, Michigan

The After-Draft Aftermath for Will Johnson in his own words:

• “I’m on a mission, now. They definitely woke me up, for sure.”
• My knee has been healthy for the past two years.”
• “I know how my body feels, so I’m just going to go out there and show that on Sundays and show everybody what they missed out on.”
• “My visit with the Cardinals went great. The coaching staff has great energy.”
• “Fair to say I was more likely to happen with the Cardinals’ first-round pick at No. 16 than with their second-round pick at No. 47.”
• “I think I’m going to make a better situation out of everything. So, I’m not too worried about it now. I’m just ready to go prove it.”

from: Cardinals select Will Johnson with No. 47 pick in NFL draft – ESPN

Former Michigan teammate Kenneth Grant, who went 13th overall to the Miami Dolphins, called Johnson the “ultimate competitor.”

“Whatever he’s doing, whether it’s on or off the field, he’s always [competing],” Grant said. “I’ll even go over to his house sometimes and he’s on his iPad watching film. So, when he steps on the field, he’s always going to be ready schematic-wise.

“He’s a dog, bro — injury or not, he’s a dog. He’s going to power through it and hit you, for real.”

Conclusion:

If Will Johnson responds to this setback the way he did after rehabbing his knee injury to then go and help lead Michigan to its first Natty in decades while garnering All-America status and Championship Game MVP, the Cardinals, as long as Will Johnson stays healthy and dialed-in, may have hit one of the all-time NFL Draft super jackpots.

Because it could look a little —- or a lot —- like this:

Interceptions and Pick-Sixes in Cardinals’ History over the last 70 years:

1. Larry Wilson —- 52 —- 5 TDs
2. Aeneas Williams —- 46 —- 6 TDs
3. Roger Wehrli —- 40 —- 2 TDs
4. Pat Fischer —- 29 —- 3 TDs
5. Patrick Peterson —- 28 —- 1 TD

Here’s your ladder to climb, Will.

One pick at time.