Why Cardinals, Will Johnson Pairing is Perfect

Once upon a time, Will Johnson was widely considered the top cornerback in college football and was destined to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But things changed, and Johnson plummeted to the second-round of the draft, where the Arizona Cardinals made sure his tumble ended there.

His fall wasn't something predicted to happen by many, if anyone. Apparently, teams have long-term concerns over his knee and whether he'll hold up in the pros. Some have questioned if he will even make it past his rookie contract.

Depending on who you talk to, Johnson's knee may sound cataclysmic.

But if you talk to the Cardinals, you're likely to hear they knew they could land Johnson on day two and spend their round one pick elsewhere. They were correct in that assumption.

Now, the Cardinals have a top-flight cornerback in a talented room with a fire in his belly. Johnson is upset he fell as far as he did and he has every right to be. His fall wasn't something he controlled, and his camp believes the stigma surrounding his knee is completely overblown.

If that is true, the NFL allowed an elite talent at cornerback, a position nearing premium status, to fall to day two of the draft and to an up-and-coming team building an elite defense.

The marriage between Johnson and Arizona has several factors that make it a perfect match, if you would. The factors are so strong, in fact, that it could one day lead to Johnson being considered the steal of the draft.

Why Will Johnson Was Perfect for Cardinals

1) Insane value

It's not often one of the best players at his position, let alone in the draft entirely, tumbles all the way to day two of the draft. It's not uncommon to see players fall down the board, but Johnson's slide to the middle of the second round was unprecedented.

It sparked a fire in his chest that has him ready to prove all the teams who passed on him wrong. A player with Johnson's talent combined with a chip on his shoulder the size of the sun is a deadly combination.

2) Completes a position group

The Cardinals' cornerback room is full of young talent. Garrett Williams is an elite nickel corner and Max Melton has shown the potential to be a plus-starter. The rest of the room including Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas helps the position group become a strength.

Adding Johnson is what puts the group over the top. He's the type of player you need to take a budding room and turn them into an elite room. I've called Johnson the much-needed alpha dog for the secondary and it's because he does this for your team.

3) Game-changing potential

The ultimate X-Factor with Johnson is his ability to shift a game. You obviously have a player who upgrades a group and can become the top-guy in the room, but Johnson delivers more than just being a good player.

We've seen on full-display that he's capable of making the play that changes the course of the game no matter how big or small. His interception to open the second-half of the 2023 CFP National Championship game was a tone-setter that told us how the game was going to finish in Michigan's title win.

He's made plays like that throughout his career, and Arizona doesn't have a player with nearly that type of capability on defense. Johnson fixes that.

Other reasons

-- We've seen Johnson at his best show the capability to become the next shutdown cornerback in the league. The NFL is driven by receivers who can make big plays, but Johnson is capable of erasing those big plays. He can make some of his own as evidenced by his three-career pick-sixes.

-- Johnson has played against top-end competition and proven himself to be "that guy." He'll be reunited with his old college rival, Marvin Harrison Jr, where he can remind everyone that he owns his assignments.

A player like Johnson doesn't come around very often, and they certainly don't around for the price that the Cardinals managed to grab him at. Johnson can quickly pay back the investment the Cardinals made for him and turn this secondary into an elite one.

For fans dreaming of a modern "No Fly Zone," Johnson could be the missing piece to get them there.