The NFL has been waiting on Will Johnson for a couple of years now. He was a four-star recruit in 2022 coming out of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and started 14 games for the 13-1 Michigan Wolverines as a true freshman. As a sophomore, he earned all sorts of acclaim, with many already viewing him as an NFL-caliber player.
Advertisement
He cemented himself among the best in the college ranks in 2023 because of his consistency, but also thanks to a few signature plays. Johnson intercepted a pass while covering Fred Biletnikoff Award winner Marvin Harrison Jr. and also picked off Michael Penix Jr. in a crucial moment of that year’s National Championship Game, which his Wolverines went on to win.
He missed all but six games in 2024 due to a turf toe problem. But, he has still declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and foregone his senior year after earning All-American honors in back-to-back years.
Johnson has top-end 4.44 speed, he’s long and tall at 6’2″, and he’s a forceful and willing tackler, which is why he’s rated as the best or 2nd-best CB in this draft class. The only drawbacks to his game are that he will take unnecessary gambles from time to time and can be susceptible to double moves. Let’s see which NFL team might call his name come April’s draft.
1) Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are going to need to do a major overhaul. Past Maxx Crosby, there’s not much to write home about when it comes to this roster. Vegas holds the No. 6 pick, so unless they trade up, they’re probably not going to have a chance at one of the top QBs. They have holes pretty much everywhere else too, so going with a surefire cornerback prospect like Will Johnson would be a safe and smart pick.
Vegas was by far the lowest-graded team in coverage this past season, per PFF, at just 31.9. That’s nearly 15 points below the next-worst group. They don’t have much talent in that room right now, so Johnson would likely come in and contribute as the CB1 right away.
2) Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals would have been good fun to have in the NFL playoffs. Unfortunately, a brutal pass defense hamstrung the rest of the team as they fell short of the postseason for the 2nd straight year in 2024. The Bengals allowed 272.9 passing yards per game this season, the most in the league by nearly 10 yards. Cincinnati has spent a couple of 2nd-rounders on cornerbacks over the last couple of years, but it might be time to try for the cream of the crop.
Cam Taylor-Britt and D.J. Turner are still young players, but they haven’t quite lived up to their potential just yet. It couldn’t hurt to supplement them with a player like Will Johnson. The Bengals have the No. 16 pick in the draft, so if there’s an early run on offense like last year, Johnson could fall to Cincy.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers had their hearts broken by the young and exciting Commanders on Wild Card weekend. They need to start looking at how they can improve for next year. The defense would seem to be a good place to start. Tampa gave up the 3rd-most passing yards and tied for the 2nd-most passing TDs in 2024.
Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith are both pretty solid. However, neither is a lockdown corner, which Will Johnson projects to be. Again, considering we didn’t get our first CB selected until the 22nd pick in 2024, Johnson could very well still be around when the Bucs get on the clock at No. 20.
