What Cardinals Got in Second-Round CB Will Johnson

Perhaps the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft was Michigan superstar corner Will Johnson tumbling to day two after spending the majority of the process as a slam dunk first-round pick.

Instead, the Arizona Cardinals ended his skid and landed a player who can change the course of this defense.

Johnson’s fall in the draft had nothing to do with his play, personality, or any outfield issues; the drop was courtesy of a long-term injury concern that could shorten his career in theory.

As one would expect, Johnson still did not appreciate the slide and is confident in his injury status. Consider Johnson an honorary member of the Blues Brothers, because he’s on a mission from God — but this is to prove everyone wrong.

The Cardinals are obviously hoping for this outcome, which is why they didn’t mind investing second round capital into him. The team is certainly hoping for long-term production from Johnson, but at worst he should be able to make a large impact at the gate.

With a basic introduction out-of-the-way, allow me to round out some information about Johnson to get you up to speed. This profile will look into his career accomplishments at this point, how he looked as a prospect, and even what cards fans can hope to see this year.

Accomplishments

• Five-Star recruit in 2022 high school class

• National Champion (2023)

• National Championship Defensive MVP (2023)

• First-Team All-American (2023)

• Second-Team All-American (2023)

• First-Team All-Big Ten (2023)

• Second-Team All-Big Ten (2024)

• Freshman All-American (2022)

• Nine career interceptions — three pick sixes

2025 NFL Draft Profile

• Big, long corner teams desire (6’2, 193 lbs)

• Body control to flip/bump and run with receivers

• Elite ball skills — as good as we’ve seen in several years

• Mixes gambling mentality with shut down potential

What The Tape Shows

Johnson plays the corner position with an edge and a mentality that you need from your top cover man. His ability to mirror and match his opponent is his most attractive feature that should help him make a quicker adjustment to the next level.

i there’s plenty of ball skills here for Johnson too and it’s the first thing I find that stands out to me. having a DB who create place on top of shutting down their assignment create massive advantages for your defense.

There are times where that will come back and bite him in the rear, however as he will have a preference to make a play on the ball in the air. It’s at this point where he can start to lose his assignment, so he will need to balance out those tendencies a bit more.

But for me, I’m too enamored with Johnson’s talents and upside, so I personally don’t invest as many concerns or worries into the areas that need improvement.

Role for 2025

I suspect Johnson will open the year slightly lower on the Cardinals depth chart than one may expect. Arizona has a very deep cornerback room with several quality players and shouldn’t be forced to start him out the gate. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him listed as the third or even fourth corner on the depth chart.

But with that being said, I don’t anticipate that to be the case for the length of season. As soon as Johnson gets his legs underneath him and back to 100% health, it will become a challenge for Arizona to leave him off the field. Quite frankly, I don’t think this will take long to happen.

Johnson will see the field a lot as a rookie and could wind up ending the year as the top guy. Barring anything major, little to nothing stands in his way of greatness in the desert.