Michigan WR Cornelius Johnson picked in seventh round of 2024 NFL Draft by Chargers
Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Cornelius Johnson is off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft with the Los Angeles Chasrgers selecting him in the seventh round of the No. 253 pick.
Johnson appeared in 60 career games at Michigan with 44 starts and was a key contributor over the last three seasons in Ann Arbor. The honorable mention All-Big Ten selection appeared in 15 games with 14 starts last year, catching 47 passes for 604 yards and one touchdown. Johnson also added three rushes for 40 yards on the year.
Johnson had a knack for making big plays in timely moments in Ann Arbor, headlined by his performance in the 2022 win over Ohio State in Columbus. He went off for 160 yards receiving and two touchdowns from 69 and 75-yards out, respectively in the effort.
Coming out of high school, Johnson was a four-star recruit and the No. 182 prospect in the country, 30th-ranked wide receiver and top-ranked player in the state of Connecticut.
“A three-year starter at Michigan, Johnson was the X receiver in offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore’s pro-style scheme (94.0 percent of his career snaps came outside),” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said in his draft guide, titled “The Beast.” “Although his production was sporadic(one 100-yard receiving game over the last two seasons), he was a steady option in Ann Arbor over the years, and his 139 career catches passed Desmond Howard (134) and Mario Manningham (137) on the Wolverines’ all-time receptions list.
“Johnson is a quick-footed athlete for his size, and his routes can be sharpened with more development. He will struggle to separate and has more concentration drops than ideal, but he can pluck it cleanly outside his frame and wins 50-50 balls using his rangy ball skills. Overall, Johnson doesn’t have dominant physical traits or polish, but he has pro tools and should continue to hone his skills with further coaching. He will compete for a rotational outside-receiver role in the NFL.”
Most analysts had Johnson in the 5th/6th round range coming into this weekend’s festivities.
“He’s a big, tough target who displayed improvement making the difficult catch in 2023,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said in his pre-draft profile. “He has decent speed but is encumbered by ragged route running that fails to hit the mark with footwork or timing. Johnson’s play strength and competitiveness can become a problem for smaller cornerbacks when the action heads down the field. He’s a chippy run blocker with the potential to become a weapon as a perimeter blocker. Johnson’s size and traits will be lauded, but he might need a simpler route tree to be at his best as a pro backup.”
The 2024 NFL Draft took place in Detroit, 45 minutes down the road from Ann Arbor. Fellow wide receiver Roman Wilson was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
