Cardinals’ Will Johnson reflects on Draft Day doubts

The 22-year-old rookie was selected 47th overall in the second round of this year’s draft out of the University of Michigan. However, Johnson said the process wasn’t easy.

Johnson explains that he was hopeful he would be drafted early on. As the picks went by and his name wasn’t called, Johnson was feeling hopeless.

“Coach [Jim] Harbaugh saw what I went through at Michigan,” Johnson said. “He knows how I’ve handled it, especially where my knee is concerned, and how it hasn’t affected me at all… I was a projected Top 5 pick and now my college coach won’t even draft me?”

The Cardinal cornerback went on to write how the process made him reflect on the moments that helped lead him to that position. He mentions his dad as a role model for him and chose to play football because of him. Johnson also remembers the four years he spent at Michigan and his accomplishments.

“While it’s easy to say the big moments made the experience, it’s really the little moments nobody saw that shaped me as a player,” Johnson said. “That 2023 season was full of special moments. That team fought through a lot of adversity, which made our success that much more rewarding.”

Johnson went on to explain his relief after receiving a call from the Cardinals during the second round of the draft, as he’s determined to “prove the haters wrong.”

“The Cardinals are building something special with their coaches, culture and players,” he said. “… This next chapter is for the ones who believed.”

Fans of Johnson from his time at Michigan, along with Cardinals fans, have shown support for his story.

Fans can read the rest of his story here.