Why Michigan CB Will Johnson fell out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft

Michigan Wolverines cornerback Will Johnson exits the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft the same way he entered it: Not knowing what team he will play for next season.

The Michigan star corner, who declared for the draft after his junior season in Ann Arbor, was once considered a top-10 talent in the draft cycle. Injuries late in the 2024 season and a lack of much work done during the pre-draft process pushed him down boards a bit, but nobody could have predicted a fall out of the first round entirely.

Social media rumors this week suggested that Johnson was dealing with a knee issue, which had not previously been disclosed during the 2024 season or the lead-up to the draft. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the knee issue on Thursday night during the slide, saying it is a lingering concern in NFL front offices.

“Michigan CB Will Johnson Jr. has a knee issue that has concerned some NFL teams and helps explain why he still has not been selected,” Schefter said on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

On the ABC broadcast, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel said the knee issue goes back to a surgery he had prior to the 2023 season, where he missed the first three games of Michigan’s 15-0 season. He seemed to suggest that it was more of a long-term issue than something that just popped up on the radar, but that he still was expected to go fairly early.

Of course, Johnson returned to the Wolverines in 2023 and was a key piece of its national title team, earning Defensive MVP honors in the 38-17 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship. This season, he was limited to 6 games while dealing with a turf toe injury.

He played in 32 games with 22 starts over three seasons at Michigan. The former five-star recruit is a two-time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team in 2023 and second team by the media in 2024). He earned first-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in 2023.

As of this week, Pro Football Focus had Johnson as the No. 14 prospect in the draft. Now, he will enter the draft’s second night as one of the top available players on the board.

Three Michigan players went in round one in defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 5 overall, Cleveland Browns), tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10, Chicago Bears) and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (No. 13, Miami Dolphins. Loveland is the first Michigan skill player drafted in the first round since 2005 (Braylon Edwards, No. 3 overall) and a trio of Maize and Blue players selected in the first has not happened since 2001. It ties a program record.

The second and third rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay are set for Friday night, starting at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN and NFL Network will carry the broadcast.

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