Revenge of the Birds
Johnson was a star at Michigan and has star potential in the NFL.
Happy Tuesday one and all.
The Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL are 30 days away from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft so for the next 30 days or so we will try and get to know about 30 prospects.
The first 15 or so will be the “first round” guys, then we will look at some select prospects quickly, maybe even in groups to get through a look at players, build a big board and know who these guys are who the Arizona Cardinals could potentially pick.
So to start, we will use the 2025 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board and take a look at the players in that 11-32 range who make sense for the Arizona Cardinals.
Starting with a cornerback picking up steam at pick 16.
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Johnson is a big cornerback, which is in demand in today’s game. Johnson measured in at 6-2 and 194lbs. at the combine, but his arms were a little shorter than what you may want at only 30 1/8”.
However, the way Johnson plays that is not an issue.
From Lance Zierlein:
He’s instinctive and plays with good body control and change of direction in space. He can play man coverage, but he’s at his best when playing with his eyes forward instead of chasing routes downfield. Johnson displays good pre-snap recognition and can read and anticipate routes/throws at a high level. While he plays the role of thief in coverage, he needs to balance that mentality with a healthy respect for NFL route-runners, as he might lack the recovery speed to close the distance at a desired rate. He has coveted traits and his areas of concern fail to stand out as impediments for what could become a long, successful career as a future Pro Bowler.
I have seen a lot of comparisons for Johnson, but one that I keep coming back to, despite the small difference in arm length, is James Bradberry.
Bradberry excelled in Jonathan Gannon’s defense, was a second team All Pro in the Super Bowl run and gave the Eagles an excellent pair with Darius Slay.
If Bradberry is the floor for Johnson, which is an extremely high floor, we are talking a Pro Bowl and All Pro level player.
If Bradberry is the ceiling, then you have a long-term plan at cornerback, and while he may never be a superstar, he is going to be a very good pro for a long time.
