Will Johnson, Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Johnson was a five-star recruit from Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. in the class of 2022

Michigan cornerback Will Johnson might not be a scheme-transcendent prospect, but his vision and processing make him one of the better zone corners to enter the NFL in recent history. Opinions around the league appear mixed on Johnson, but that might be a byproduct of overthinking season.

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Will Johnson, CB Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside cornerback from Detroit, Mich.

Background: Johnson was a five-star recruit from Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 15 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 5 for Rivals, and No. 16 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 23rd in the nation (four-star) with an 88 grade out of 100. Johnson was a four-year starter on Grosse Pointe South’s varsity squad. As a senior, he amassed 45 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and 12 passes defensed. Johnson also totaled 1,302 all-purpose yards, including receiving, rushing, and punt return yardage. He made 42 receptions for 667 yards and six touchdowns and returned a punt for a score. As a junior, Johnson made 21 tackles and broke up eight passes in seven games. He also caught 37 passes for 600 yards and eight touchdowns and scored on a punt return. In 2021, Johnson was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Club High School Defensive Player of the Year award and was an MLive All-State selection. His father, Deon Johnson, was a defensive back at Michigan from 1991-94. The younger Johnson was born on March 29, 2003.

Injuries & Off-Field: Underwent knee surgery in the spring of 2023, recovery from knee surgery led to him missing East Carolina and Bowling Green games early in the year (2023), re-aggravated leg injury from practice vs. Ohio State (2023) and missed Iowa game, exited 2024 USC game with a shoulder injury and missed the following game, missed final six games of 2024 with left turf toe

Awards: 2023 First Team All-Big Ten, 2023 First Team All-American (Sports Illustrated), 2023 Second Team All-American (The Athletic), 2023-24 National Championship Game Defensive MVP, 2024 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Impressive height, arm length should surpass thresholds, mostly fluid athlete, Freaks List inclusion, seamless pre-snap adjustments to motion, asked to rotate and cover a lot of space in zone, calm and patient in soft shoe press, forceful jams in press, uses sideline as an extra defender on outside releases, backpedal matches receiver’s tempo, impressive footspeed and control, balanced and controlled movement, doesn’t fall for stutter-go routes, quick to flip hips and match receiver’s breaks, very fluid and quick transitioning from backpedal to forward drive, quick trigger on routes breaking in front of him, closing burst to undercut routes, quick to gear down and stick to receiver at the top of the stem, instinctive, route recognition and processing, sorts through multiple routes in his zone, excellent vision on the QB, reads QB’s eyes in zone to transition between threats and/or close throwing lanes, leaves his man to jump other routes when QB tips the play, zone discipline, communicates with teammates to pass off receivers in zone, size makes him difficult for stalk blocks to displace, combative hands help shed blocks

Cons: Minimal special teams versatility, injury history, minimal slot experience, occasionally bites on first fake in release, several whiffed punches in press vs. Marvin Harrison Jr. (2023), hands slip off his target during jams, still developing comfort level with press, play strength concerns, Michigan’s scheme allowed such a large cushion in off-man (2023), sometimes caught flat-footed in off-man, late to accelerate and get in phase on some vertical routes, lacks elite acceleration and speed, bit on fakes and lost deep to Rome Odunze a few times (2023), can do a better job reading the receiver’s eyes when his back is to the QB, needs to play the WR’s hands better when back is to the QB, overruns ball carrier and misses tackle, steep angles in run defense, brings poor play strength to some tackle attempts, sometimes hesitant into contact vs. run, lack of aggression vs. blockers and ball carriers, inconsistent effort facing blocks, inconsistent motor in run defense

Overview: Johnson offers an impressive combination of height, weight, and arm length but faces mounting injury concerns. His frame creates some limitations with his fluidity, but he moves fairly freely for a corner his size. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Johnson runs a 6.57 three-cone drill. For reference, Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the only player to post a sub-6.6 three-cone at the NFL Combine over the past two years. Feldman also claims Johnson runs a 4.05 20-yard shuttle and leaps 10-8.5 in the board jump. Johnson is calm and patient in soft shoe press and matches the receiver’s tempo with his backpedal. He delivers some forceful jams but also suffers from whiffed punches and poor hand placement. The Michigan native uses his footspeed, balance, and controlled movements to quickly flip his hips and mirror receivers. He compresses outside releases along the sideline. Johnson is clearly more comfortable working off the line than in press and isn’t very comfortable with back to the quarterback. He occasionally bites on release fakes and gets stacked because he’s late to turn and accelerate against vertical routes. Johnson lacks the twitch and elite acceleration to recover when caught flat-footed. While he doesn’t fall for stutter-goes, he bites on some double moves and route fakes. Johnson needs to read the receiver’s eyes to play the ball when working with his back to the quarterback. He can play man-to-man at a high level and has room to continue growing in this area, but he’s a special talent in zone. The Wolverines asked him to rotate and showcase impressive range post-snap. Johnson quickly shifts from his backpedal into forward drive to trigger on routes breaking in front of him. His closing burst helps him undercut throwing lanes. He’s an instinctive player with the route recognition and processing skills to sort through route combinations and make plays on the ball. His vision and ability to read the quarterback’s eyes are excellent. Johnson sometimes gambles, leaving his assignment to jump another route, but he generally maintains zone discipline. He takes a poised and patient approach that lets the receiver come to him, and he quickly gears down to stick to a receiver at the top of the stem once the target snaps off their route. Johnson’s value in run defense is questionable. He takes poor angles and seems hesitant to initiate contact at times. His play strength on tackle attempts doesn’t impress. Johnson has the size and combative hands to defeat stalk blocks but puts inconsistent and sometimes poor effort into defeating blockers.

Overall, Johnson offers one of the best pairings of size and athleticism among cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has the measurables to operate in man-heavy schemes, but his athletic skill set, excellent processing, and vision are much better matches for zone schemes. Johnson needs to develop in run support and play the ball better at the catch point when battling with the receiver downfield.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in Cover 2 & Cover 3 zone-heavy scheme

Round Grade: First Round

Size: 6'2", 202 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-14-24

Updated: 12-17-24