Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (DB17) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

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Will Johnson NFL Draft Projection – Where Will the Michigan Cornerback Land?

Michigan's Will Johnson could go early in round 1

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (DB17) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

William Johnson, better known as Will Johnson is one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class. Born and brought up in Detroit, Michigan, Johnson has lived his entire life in Michigan choosing to attend the University of Michigan where he played three years on the Wolverines football team.

Hailing from a football background, Johnson followed in the footsteps of his father, Deon Johnson who also played the corner position for the Michigan Wolverines during the 1990s. The 22-year-old Corner chose to stay close to home in spite of having offers from other top schools such as Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, and others.

Johnson was highly impressive as a freshman in the 2022 season. Featuring in all 14 games, he was named the team’s defensive freshman of the year. He followed that up with an even better sophomore season holding all receivers to just 17 receptions and not allowing a single touchdown. His interception against Washington in the National Championship Game earned him the Defensive MVP Award as that play helped seal the victory for the Wolverines.

Will Johnson Draft Profile

Johnson possesses quickness and is fluid while changing directions. At 6 ft 2 in, he is perfect to play the contested balls and does his best work in zone defense. His speed limits his ability to play man coverage, although it is not a big weakness, but at the NFL level, it could pose some problems.

One of his top traits is the ability to read the plays and throws at a high level as well as his excellent ability to read the play pre-snap. He is touted as a player with boom or bust potential and his NFL comp is none other than top corner Jaycee Horn of the Carolina Panthers.

Also Read: Maxx Crosby’s New Job As the Assistant General Manager Brings Him Back to Eastern Michigan

Will Johnson’s Draft Projection

Will Johnson is widely considered to be one of the top corners in the draft this year. Two-way player Travis Hunter who has declared as a cornerback is most likely to be the first corner taken off the board during draft night. However, it may come down to a coin flip between Johnson and Texas Longhorns’ Jahdae Barron as to who gets drafted as the number two corner.

It is highly unlikely that Johnson will fall out of the first round, with his draft projection being somewhere in the top 20 or even the top 15. Multiple teams between picks 11-15 such as the 49ers and the Dolphins could look to secure him, especially given that Miami needs to find top-level talent at that position.

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!