A Michigan high school football star, Will Johnson is now a Cardinal after NFL Draft

Johnson was selected by the Cardinals in the 2025 NFL Draft

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images / Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinal selected cornerback Will Johnson from the University of Michigan with the 47th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Johnson, born in Detroit, attended Grosse Pointe South High School where he played on varsity for all four years. He was the first player in school history to do so.

Johnson received scholarship offers from Michigan State and Michigan after his freshman season. He played on both offense and defense throughout his career. For his senior season, the Grosse Pointe South coaching staff tasked Johnson with being the primary playmaker.

“I think I’ll be all-around on offense, outside, slot, wildcat, all of that,” Johnson told The Detroit News entering his senior season. “I’m excited. The goal is to score a lot of touchdowns, so they’ll be trying to get the ball in my hands as much as possible.

“One of my bigger roles this year is being a leader, leading by example and being a more vocal leader. I have more responsibilities this year so just doing everything and trying to be better at everything I did last year, too.

“I think last year just showed everybody that we are a team that can compete with anybody in the state. I think we’re confident that we can beat everybody in the Red and just come in ready to play and stay confident. That’s the goal.”

Johnson proved he could be the versatile star the Blue Devils needed him to be. He finished his senior season with 666 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns, 201 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 19 yards per punt return. 

On defense, Johnson was a star defensive back. He had 45 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interceptions. He made MLive’s 2021 all-state team.

“He’s an elite talent,” Grosse Pointe South head coach Tim Brandon told The Detroit News. “I have never coached someone like that. I’ve never coached against a guy as good as him. He has everything. He’s got speed. He’s got size. He’s got length. He’s got ball skills. He’s got strength. He’s become more of a vocal leader this year, just one of those kids that everybody follows.” 

Colleges noticed as well. He had offers from Alabama, Penn State, USC and Ohio State, among others. While he was interested in USC and Ohio State, Johnson chose the Wolverines. His father, Deon, played for Michigan from 1990-94.

At Michigan, he became a two-time All-American and Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. 

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s scouting report on Johnson:

“Johnson is a big cornerback with easy/fluid movement skills and excellent instincts. He played outside and in the slot at Michigan. In off coverage, he’s very smooth and relaxed. He doesn’t panic, settles on routes and can find/play the ball. He had an impressive flat-footed read against USC that he turned into a pick-six. He has the size/length to press and match up with bigger wideouts. The two issues that showed up in his 2024 game tape were inconsistency as a support player against the run and questions about his deep speed. He wasn’t ultra-aggressive to attack ball-carriers and he was run over multiple times. He did not alleviate any concerns about his speed by declining to run a 40-yard dash at the combine and his workout this spring. Overall, Johnson won't be a fit for man-heavy teams, but he will be attractive for squads that play a lot of zone coverage.”

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