Blogging The Boys
Will Johnson is a name to keep an eye on.
High school talent evaluators have been waiting for this moment, when Will Johnson is finally off to the NFL. The Michigan native dominated in high school, playing both sides and working as a return specialist. As a 5-star recruit and the top prospect in the state, he opted to play for the hometown Wolverines, just as his father had.
There, Johnson became one of the best cornerbacks in college football, and helped lead Michigan back to prominence, winning the 2023 National Championship. Johnson won the National Championship Game MVP as well, an indicator of just how impactful he had been. Now, Johnson is ready to transition to the next level.
Name: Will Johnson
Position: CB
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 194
Man Coverage: Johnson has great size and length that he uses really well in man coverage. He’s able to blanket receivers and remain in close contact throughout the route. Johnson also has superb footwork, not relying on being overly physical in man but instead keeping himself positioned properly.
Zone Coverage: He has graded out better in zone coverage every year of his career, and that speaks to his combination of length and quick trigger from his zone. Johnson gets great leverage in the passing lanes and diagnoses things quickly to create lots of big play opportunities.
Playmaking Ability: Johnson’s past playing wide receiver shines through in his ball skills. He had nine picks in three years at Michigan despite opposing quarterbacks generally avoiding him the last two years. He has a similar play style to Trevon Diggs in that Johnson tries to bait the quarterback, which occasionally got him in trouble. Still, the body of work is hard to argue with.
Athleticism: Johnson played with elite on-field athleticism, rarely getting outrun by anyone. The big question, though, is where his testing numbers will land. Johnson’s 2024 season was cut short due to a turf toe injury, and he didn’t test at either the NFL Combine or Michigan’s Pro Day due to a nagging hamstring injury. Johnson is set to have a private workout later this month, but scouts will have to balance those numbers against his impressive tape.
Run Support: He is a physical player who loves coming down in run support. Sometimes he comes in too hot and misses due to a poor angle, but those are good problems to have with a cornerback. He’s easily the most reliable run defending cornerback in this draft.
Processing: Johnson has one of the highest football IQ’s in this draft class. His ability to diagnose what the offense is doing and react accordingly is otherworldly. His ability to transition between backpedaling, flipping his hips, changing direction, and everything else is a testament to how quickly his mind processes everything.
Intangibles: Johnson has a dawg mentality, hyper competitive and unafraid to get physical. He stepped up as the leader of the secondary this past year, one that proved to be challenging for the Wolverines,...
