Why Cardinals Should Consider Drafting Top CB

How badly do the Arizona Cardinals need a cornerback heading into next season? That depends on your point of view of the current depth chart.

It's easy to like and appreciate what's currently on the roster, but there's a legitimate question to be asked - Is there an alpha in the room? If the answer is no, then Michigan's Will Johnson is a great solution for that hole.

Johnson spent three seasons with the Wolverines as their top cover man and it took him no time at all to establish himself as one of the best in the nation. The CFP National Championship game defensive MVP proved week after week that he was to be feared by everyone as an eraser who would make you pay for daring to throw his way.

There's no current consensus for Johnson, who was once seen as high as a top-10 prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. I've seen him stay inside the first 10 picks, but I've also seen him fall out of the top-15.

Should he be available for the Cardinals at No. 16, a serious conversation has to be made.

Johnson could be what takes this secondary over the top, and that could make him a prime target for Arizona in round one.

Our series of looking at perfect 2025 NFL Draft prospects for the Cardinals continues now with as an exciting a prospect as we've previewed this far with Will Johnson.

Profile

Five-star recruit and consensus top-50 recruit in the nation (2022)

CFP National Champion (2023)

One-time First-Team All-American (2023)

One-time Second-Team All-American (2024)

Freshman All-American (2022)

One-time First-Team All-Big Ten (2023)

One-time Second-Team All-Big Ten (2024)

The fit

The Michigan standout has proven since day one that he's not only a plug-and-play starting corner on the boundary, but that he's an elite player on top of that. It took no time at all for Johnson to become an opposing quarterback's worst nightmare and an eraser for receivers opposite him.

The Cardinals' secondary has plenty of talent and depth back there, so adding Johnson could be seen as a luxury. However, Johnson upgrades the room and can even give some of those guys some more opportunities to flex around the defense. More depth also allows for more guys to get some rest and stay fresh.

Johnson is also a clear outside cornerback without any question. Quite a few of the corners on the current roster can flex inside and outside and play at quality levels. But again, a guy like Johnson solidifies and locks down, literally and figuratively, an outside spot and creates opportunities for everyone else.

Some call it excessive depth; I call it upgrading in multiple ways.

The logic

The Cardinals cornerback room is full of good players. Garrett Williams is nearing elite status as a nickel corner, while outside guys like Starling Thomas and Max Melton have shown some promise as NFL starters. And then you have Sean Murphy-Bunting as the veteran of the room.

But even with all of these guys, none are as promising as Johnson.

Adding Johnson to this room will obviously increase the depth and talent, but more importantly it establishes a true top dog and/or alpha coverman for the outside. There's simply more that Johnson brings to the table than the rest of the players in the room, including the rising Williams.

Great defenses find elite corners and although one of the current players could become one, we know that Johnson is that guy early on, if not from the moment he arrives in the desert.

Day one role

There's two ways I could see this shaking out.

Number one, Johnson enters a deep cornerback group and is forced to work his way to the top. Johnson is coming off a "down year" according to some, and this could follow him into the early stages of his career as he learns the ropes. This scenario throws Johnson into a reserve/rotational role with him being as low as the fourth outside corner behind Murphy-Bunting, Melton, and Thomas.

The other scenario is Johnson arrives and quicky proves why day one capital was spent on him. Players like Johnson normally don't take long to adjust to the next level. They also don't take long to show that they're simply better and/or more talented than the guys around and in front of them. The current room has good players, but Johnson can be a great player.

No matter which role we see Johnson step into, it's safe to assume he'll see the field in some capacity as a rookie. Even if there's not a full-time role in store for him, he's someone who will find the field one way or the other.