Now, Arizona Cardinal Will Johnson knows he is healthy and feels he should have been a first-round pick. Instead, Johnson fell out of the first round and slipped far down into the second round until the Cardinals chose to take a chance on the Michigan defensive back.
Johnson is very vocal about how his NFL Draft experience has been, and it is clear he is not happy about sliding as far as he did. Arizona Cardinals reporter Darren Urban has been in contact with Johnson, and based on his posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), Johnson is ready to take all his feelings from this draft and put them right to work against every other team in the NFL.
Asked if he is mad about dropping in draft, CB Will Johnson said yes.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) April 26, 2025
“I’m on a mission. It woke me up for sure.”
The NFL Draft has awakened a monster in Will Johnson, and the Cardinals are cashing in
Johnson may have been dealing with a knee injury throughout his final season at Michigan, but that doesn't mean he hasn't done the work to be healthy at this point in his career. In another quote from Johnson put out by Urban, the young cornerback was honest with his injury progression.
"I'm definitely frustrated," Johnson said. "I know I'm healthy."
Johnson is making it clear to not just Arizona Cardinals fans, but also the rest of the NFL, that falling in the draft is simply just fuel to work harder and prove the 31 other NFL teams wrong next season. Johnson seems to be an absolute steal for the Cardinals, getting a first-round and potentially even top-15 pick at pick No. 47.
Johnson has a nose for the ball on he field with nine career interceptions without even playing a full three years at Michigan due to his knee injury this past season. He returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns in his career. He has great off-the-ball coverage as well, but also speed to keep up with receivers.
It seems pretty obvious that Johnson is going to work to stay healthy going into his first season, and if he is truly ready to go come the beginning of the 2025 season, the rest of the NFL better watch out because Johnson is keeping receipts.