New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: CB Will Johnson, Michigan

Will Johnson has several strengths that appear to make him a perfect fit for the New York Giants defense, should they select him in the draft.

Will Johnson, CB

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 194 lbs
Class: Senior
School: Michigan
Hand size: 9 ⅛”
Arm length: 30 ⅛”
STATS

A former four-star recruit from Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where he was the number one recruit from his state and the fourth overall cornerback during the 2022 recruiting cycle. Johnson stepped onto campus and played 488 snaps as a freshman, earning a Freshman All-American nod.

Highly coveted out of high school, Johnson did not disappoint! He allowed just a 54% catch rate in college and only a 45.9% catch rate during the Wolverines epic National Championship season. Johnson mostly played outside cornerback (1,147) snaps with just 58 snaps in the slot.

Johnson was the College Football Playoff National Championship Game Defensive MVP in 2023 and he was a First-Team All-American. Despite his injuries in 2024, he still earned a Second-Team All-American place.

Conversations around Johnson in the media world have seemed to sour. He was a consensus top-five pick heading into the college football season, and it’s easy to see why.

I wouldn’t say he is a complete player – and he must prove healthy after the turf-toe injury – but coverage skills, plus takeaway ability, are crucial to playing cornerback and Johnson possesses both of those in spades, along with elite processing.

Strengths

Good size and build with marginal arm length
Excellent athlete with elite closing burst and excellent change of direction
Controlled mover in back-pedal and quarter-turn
Very good footwork at the line of scrimmage
Good press & rideability
Excellent fluidity in his hips – balanced!
Fluid in his transitions from off-man and tight
Elite instincts from depth – elite click & close leads to pick-sixes
Elite processing of route concepts outside the numbers
Does a phenomenal job baiting against high-low
Elite reactive quickness to the quarterback on two-man route concepts
Interceptions vs. Marvin Harrison Jr. (2023), Fresno State, and USC in 2024
Very good overall in man coverage with all the athletic traits to be in phase
Excellent zone coverage CB
Good discernment and spacing when midpointing 1 to 2
Times his attacks vs. routes well
Harasses the catch point to force drops upon the receiver’s transition to secure
Solid run defense skills when coming forward on blitz or from depth
Run defense is sufficient with momentum

Grosse Pointe South grad Will Johnson (Michigan CB) junior season highlightspic.twitter.com/8PjRRMSvJm
— The D Zone (@TheD_Zone) January 24, 2025

Weaknesses

Marginal arm length
Solid, but could be better at locating the football vertically
Allowed two deep slot fades where he failed to track and locate (Fresno State, 2024, Ohio State, 2023)
Overly eager – can be baited out of position by double moves (Fresno State)
Play strength concerns vs. the run – is not an asset as a run support CB
Missed 15.7% of his tackles
Struggles to function as run support CB when his feet are stationary and he is not coming forward
Suffered a season-ending turf toe injury against Illinois (Week 8)

Sep 14, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Will Johnson (2) pursues a play against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Summary

Will Johnson is a highly intelligent outside cornerback with elite instincts from zone and off-man to click & close on route concepts outside the numbers; he’s an immediate threat to take one to the house due to this processing/explosiveness combination.

Johnson is a very good athlete who does a good job staying in phase as a man coverage defender, with the footwork and press ability to be sufficient if tasked in that role, albeit I would argue he’s better from depth, which would translate well to a Shane Bowen-coached defense.

Johnson has solid overall play strength but is best overall as a run defender when he is either blitzing/penetrating or running at the target – which he does tend to overrun at times.

However, while stationary, Johnson lacks the pop and aiming points to be a difference-making run-support cornerback.

The injury held him back in 2024; still, if you look above at the report, you see ELITE written several times, which is rare. Johnson has the traits and is a good football player. If healthy, he should be an above-average starter with game-changing takeaway ability in due time.

GRADE: 6.72

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Will Johnson, CB

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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