![10. Jaguars [PROJECTED TRADE with Bears] – CB Will Johnson, Michigan](https://collegefootballnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cardinals-Coach-Praises-Will-Johnson-As-Star-DB-Sets-Out-To-Prove-His-Draft-Slide-Was-a-Mistake-1920x1280.jpg "Cardinals Coach Praises Will Johnson As Star DB Sets Out To Prove His Draft Slide Was a Mistake")
Once seen as a top-10 pick, Will Johnson dropped to No. 47 in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, he’s on a mission to show what teams missed.
Cardinals DB Will Johnson Out To Prove His Draft Slide Was a Mistake
Johnson has put the league on notice. Having fallen in the 2025 NFL Draft due to his injury history, the former Michigan Wolverines cornerback landed with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 47 overall.
In a Bleacher Report Gridiron graphic posted Monday on Instagram, Johnson said, “They gone have to pay for this s**t, I promise you.”
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Johnson was a two-time All-American during his tenure in Ann Arbor. Over three seasons, he racked up 68 tackles, nine interceptions, 10 passes defended, and a school-record three pick-sixes. Over his final two campaigns with the Wolverines, he didn’t allow a touchdown on 478 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
However, Howard only played six games for Sherrone Moore’s team last season because of toe and shoulder injuries. It was a reported knee issue that affected his draft stock.
“Johnson was a top-10 player in this class when looking solely at film and not accounting for injuries,” ESPN’s Matt Miller wrote last Wednesday. “While he didn’t want to slip to Round 2, Jonathan Gannon’s system is a great fit for him. Johnson has Trevon Diggs-esque ball-hawking skills and is a shutdown corner when healthy.
“This is one of the steals of the draft as far as value, as he was taken 40 spots lower than I had him ranked.”
The Cardinals were just as surprised he was around when they came up for their second turn.
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“When we left on Thursday, we had him graded very high,” Gannon told SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio last Wednesday. “In my mind, I was like, ‘There is no chance he’s there when we pick in (Round 2), like none.’
“And when we get there Friday, and (general manager Monti Ossenfort) has all these algorithms that he has all the analytics people run and all this stuff.
“I said, ‘What are the chances that he’s there in 2?’ They’re like, ‘Coach, like 0.02%.’ Like, no chance. So when he was sitting there, I’m like, ‘Dude, am I missing something? Like, this is the best corner in the draft!'”
During an appearance on Arizona Sports’ “Bickley & Marotta,” ESPN’s Field Yates labeled the pick as a “home run at that stage, regardless of how things turn out, because he’s just too talented of a player to slide any further than he did.”
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