A Draft Prospect Workout to Monitor

Miami Dolphins potential draft target Will Johnson was scheduled to work out Monday after dealing with injuries earlier in the offseason

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (DB17) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Tanner Pearson-Imagn Images

Cornerback Will Johnson was scheduled to work out Monday for the first time this offseason, and one would imagine the Miami Dolphins were among the teams that would be paying close attention.

The highly touted prospect from the University of Michigan didn't work out at the combine or the school's pro day because he was dealing with a hamstring injury, and reports indicated he would do position drills but not run a 40-yard dash.

That last part isn't necessarily a big issue since pure speed isn't Johnson's calling card, but rather his instincts and playmaking skills.

Johnson generally is regarded as one of the top two cornerback prospects in the 2025 NFL draft after Colorado's Travis Hunter, who is a generational prospect as a wide receiver/cornerback. The other cornerback-only prospect who projects for the first half of the first half April 24 is Jahdae Barron of Texas.

Both Johnson and Barron have been mocked to the Dolphins by national outlets, the latest example being Johnson projected to Miami by Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team.

The Dolphins' Major Need at Cornerback

Based on the current roster, cornerback ranks right near the top of positional needs for the Dolphins along with defensive tackle.

The Dolphins have Jalen Ramsey as one starter on the outside and the newly re-signed Kader Kohou in the slot, but there's no clear-cut No. 1 guy opposite Ramsey amid a large group of mostly young, unproven players.

That group includes Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Cam Smith, newcomers Artie Burns and Ryan Cooper Jr., Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre.

Will Johnson's Fit with the Dolphins

Johnson is an excellent zone coverage cornerback who likes to read quarterbacks' eyes and bait them into bad throws.

He’s an exceptional athlete with good speed, quickness, and change-of-direction skills. These allow him to win in various ways, whether breaking downhill on a route or competing at the catch point down the field.

Johnson missed a good chunk of the 2024 season with injury (we’ll get to that later), but his 2023 tape is top-five-caliber. He was a shutdown cornerback who allowed a passer rating of just 30.9, helping Michigan win the National Championship.

Although many have written off Johnson’s play in 2024, it wasn’t actually that bad. He allowed a passer rating of just 52.6 when targeted and allowed zero touchdowns in coverage.

The Michigan product also has excellent ball skills, as he’s posted nine interceptions and seven pass breakups in three seasons starting for the Wolverines. Miami’s defense struggled to create turnovers for most of last season, so Johnson’s playmaking ability might be extra appealing.

One concern many will raise with Johnson is the turf toe and hamstring injury he battled during the season and pre-draft process. While it’s a fair concern, we’ve already covered why long-term concerns about Johnson’s health are unfounded.

As for his concerns on the field, Johnson definitely is better at playing in zone coverage and asking him to play primary man coverage wouldn’t be wise — of course, this isn’t likely something the Dolphins would ask of him anyway.

Johnson is also undersized, which surprised many evaluators. Johnson’s height (6-1) is great, but his weight (194) and arm length (30 inches) rank in the 37th and 10th percentile, respectively.

Those concerns don’t limit Johnson on tape much, but again, NFL receivers are bigger and stronger, so there’s a chance they pop up more often.

They mostly popped up when he was defending the run, which is not a strength of his game at all. Johnson can be a disinterested tackler when near the line of scrimmage, a problem that was especially bad this past season.

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