He was perhaps the most hyped defensive back prospect to come to Ann Arbor since the Wolverines last won a Heisman Trophy.
Now, after a long wait through day one of the draft, Will Johnson’s name has been called on day two.
Johnson, a former Michigan football defensive back and two-time All-American, was drafted No. 47 by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2025 NFL draft, 15th in the second round.
This is the earliest in the draft U-M has had a defensive back taken since Dax Hill (No. 31 in 2022). There was expectation once upon a time he could flirt with Charles Woodson territory (No. 4 overall in 1998), or at least the range of Leon Hall (No. 18 in 2007) or Jabrill Peppers (No. 25 in 2017) but injury concerns seemingly precipitated one of the more notable drops of any player to be invited to the green room.
Adam Schefter, an ESPN Insider and Michigan alum, reported Thursday evening as Johnson’s slide began that “Will Johnson (sic) has a knee issue that has concerned some NFL teams.” While the injury was not exactly breaking news, seeing as it derailed his 2024 campaign, evidently how teams felt about it was.
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Johnson played in just six games last season, the last of which came in mid-October at Illinois. He injured his shoulder early in the year against Minnesota, then missed the next week against USC, before he returned against Washington. But that too was short-lived, as he revealed at the combine he “tore some ligaments” as he tried to rehab through what was deemed a turf toe injury.
In 2023, Johnson missed essentially the entire non-conference portion of the season, as he recovered from an offseason arthoscopic knee scope. Earlier this winter, just when Johnson was determined to show he’d returned from his various ailments, he injured his hamstring and sat out both the NFL combine as well as Michigan’s pro day last month in Ann Arbor.
Johnson did work out for scouts after largely recovering from the ailment on April 10.
“I know what I can do on the field,” Johnson told local reporters after Michigan’s Pro Day. “I got a lot of film out there. I know I’ll go to the team that’s supposed to pick me, so I’m not too worried about it.”
This is now the third consecutive year Michigan has had a defensive back taken in the top 60 of the draft after DJ Turner (No. 50, 2023) and Mike Sainristil (No. 60, 2024) were both second-round selections the past two drafts.
Johnson was a five-star recruit when he pledged to Ann Arbor from his standout prep career at Grosse Pointe South and, after breaking into the starting rotation as a freshman, only ascended from there in his 32 career games and 22 starts.
“He has coveted traits,” wrote NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. “His areas of concern fail to stand out as impediments for what could become a long, successful career as a future Pro Bowler.”
Johnson recorded 68 tackles, four for a loss, and finished his career with 19 passes defended and nine interceptions, which included a program record with three picks returned for touchdowns during his tenure.
Two of those came in the first month of the 2024 season, as he finished with 12 tackles, three passes defended and two pick-sixes, but injury derailed his final campaign.
Despite the injury concern, there’s no denying his next-level traits. Johnson was rated as a Pro Football Focus freshman All-American his first year on campus, was named a first-team All American in 2023 and second team in 2024.
Johnson, who stands 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, was a U-M legacy. His father, Deon, played DB at Michigan (1990-1994) and won 3 Big Ten championships while his sister, Kayli, is the team’s Director of On-Campus Recruiting.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
