Every year there seems to be at least one and unfortunately for Michigan football, this time it was Will Johnson.
The All-American defensive back was once projected as a top-five selection in the NFL draft, but an injury riddled career in college, particularly in 2024, seemed to have affected his stock as he was not selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on April 24.
Perhaps the only more notable name nationally who wasn’t taken on night one was Colorado QB Shadeur Sanders.
Johnson was one of less than two-dozen players invited to the green room in Green Bay, but likely will not hear his name called until Day 2 during the second and third rounds of the draft. U-M had three players taken in the first round − Mason Graham at No. 5 to Cleveland, Colston Loveland at No. 10 to Chicago and Kenneth Grant at No. 13 to Miami − and had Johnson been taken as well, that would’ve set a new program record for first-round picks in a single year.
Instead, Johnson remains available, and injury troubles are the reason why according to ESPN Insider and Michigan alum Adam Schefter.
“Johnson has a knee issue that has concerned some NFL teams and helps explain why he still has not been selected,” Schefter posted on social media.
A 6-foot-2, 202-pound cornerback, Johnson was notably limited leading into the draft. Johnson did not participate in any drills at the NFL combine and then when he was scheduled to work out with his teammates at pro day, also had to bail on that.
Instead, he held his own workout session earlier this month by himself, with a number of scouts reportedly on hand.
Approximately 12 months ago, Johnson was seen as a lock to be the first cornerback off the board. Instead, he had to watch as Colorado’s Travis Hunter (No. 2, Jaguars), Texas’ Jahdae Barron (No. 20, Broncos) and Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston (No. 30, Bills) heard their names called first.
There’s no sugarcoating it, this is a really tough blow for the Grosse Pointe native who was once a five-star prospect who was named defensive MVP of the 2023 national championship game. Johnson, who was a freshman All-American in year one and an All-American each of the past two years, also set a Michigan record with three interception returns for touchdowns in his career, two of which came in the first month of 2024.
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.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DB Will Johnson of Michigan football falls out of Round 1 of NFL Draft
Every year there seems to be at least one and unfortunately for Michigan football, this time it was Will Johnson.
The All-American defensive back was once projected as a top-five selection in the NFL draft, but an injury riddled career in college, particularly in 2024, seemed to have affected his stock as he was not selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on April 24.
Perhaps the only more notable name nationally who wasn’t taken on night one was Colorado QB Shadeur Sanders.
Johnson was one of less than two-dozen players invited to the green room in Green Bay, but likely will not hear his name called until Day 2 during the second and third rounds of the draft. U-M had three players taken in the first round − Mason Graham at No. 5 to Cleveland, Colston Loveland at No. 10 to Chicago and Kenneth Grant at No. 13 to Miami − and had Johnson been taken as well, that would’ve set a new program record for first-round picks in a single year.
Instead, Johnson remains available, and injury troubles are the reason why according to ESPN Insider and Michigan alum Adam Schefter.
“Johnson has a knee issue that has concerned some NFL teams and helps explain why he still has not been selected,” Schefter posted on social media.
A 6-foot-2, 202-pound cornerback, Johnson was notably limited leading into the draft. Johnson did not participate in any drills at the NFL combine and then when he was scheduled to work out with his teammates at pro day, also had to bail on that.
Instead, he held his own workout session earlier this month by himself, with a number of scouts reportedly on hand.
Approximately 12 months ago, Johnson was seen as a lock to be the first cornerback off the board. Instead, he had to watch as Colorado’s Travis Hunter (No. 2, Jaguars), Texas’ Jahdae Barron (No. 20, Broncos) and Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston (No. 30, Bills) heard their names called first.
There’s no sugarcoating it, this is a really tough blow for the Grosse Pointe native who was once a five-star prospect who was named defensive MVP of the 2023 national championship game. Johnson, who was a freshman All-American in year one and an All-American each of the past two years, also set a Michigan record with three interception returns for touchdowns in his career, two of which came in the first month of 2024.
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.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DB Will Johnson of Michigan football falls out of Round 1 of NFL Draft
