PFF ranks Cardinals draft pick as team’s best decision this offseason

Wasserman on what Johnson brings to Cardinals:

“The Cardinals used most of their offseason resources to bolster their defensive line. However, they also needed to shore up their outside cornerback group and were presented with a perfect opportunity to improve that spot in the second round of the draft.

“Michigan’s Will Johnson was still available in round two due to injury questions. He was a top-15 talent who earned a 91.3 PFF coverage grade during his three seasons in Ann Arbor. If Johnson lives up to his true talent level, he could change the complexion of Jonathan Gannon’s defense.”

Johnson was already seen as the biggest steal of the 2025 NFL draft, being a top-10 caliber player and falling to 47th overall. That bodes well as the Cardinals best decision, but another aspect on why the selection of the 22-year-old was important was because of the sudden injuries to the secondary this Summer.

The Cardinals have already loss Starling Thomas V and Sean-Murphy Bunting for the entirety of the 2025 season. Safety Budda Baker remains one of the only veterans in the secondary and will have a troubling time to manage a cornerback room with this much youth. However, Johnson is much ahead of his expect timeline.

At Michigan, Johnson constantly showed off his defensive IQ, which helped lead the Wolverines to a National Championship in 2023. He earned defensive MVP in that game and with his in-game decision making, six-foot frame and pure athleticism, Johnson is ready to be a CB1 in the NFL.

Injuries held Johnson back in his senior year in Ann Abhor, but he appears ready to put that behind him and prove the teams that passed on him wrong next season. Johnson has had the responsibility of guarding Cardinals WR1 Marvin Harrison Jr. in training camp and has had some memorable battles so far. Arizona will need that same fight when the season begins in a month.