Report: Michigan CB Will Johnson will not work out at team pro day
Michigan Wolverines cornerback Will Johnson will not take part in workouts at the program’s pro day on March 21, according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He will hold a workout for NFL teams on April 14, 11 days before the start of the 2025 draft.
According to Reid’s report, Johnson has a hamstring issue he is working through. Johnson, who missed six games this season dealing with a toe injury, did not work out at last week’s NFL Combine.
Johnson played in 32 games with 22 starts over three seasons at Michigan. The former five-star recruit is a two time All-Big Ten selection (consensus first team in 2023 and second-team by the media in 2024). He earned first-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in 2023, and was the Defensive MVP of the national championship game, helping lead the Maize and Blue to their 12th title in history and first since 1997.
“Teams love big, fluid cornerbacks with ball production and that is exactly what Johnson offers,” Lance Zierlein writes on NFL.com. “He’s instinctive and plays with good body control and change of direction in space. He can play man coverage, but he’s at his best when playing with his eyes forward instead of chasing routes downfield. Johnson displays good pre-snap recognition and can read and anticipate routes/throws at a high level.
“While he plays the role of thief in coverage, he needs to balance that mentality with a healthy respect for NFL route-runners, as he might lack the recovery speed to close the distance at a desired rate. He has coveted traits and his areas of concern fail to stand out as impediments for what could become a long, successful career as a future Pro Bowler.
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Ahead of the combine, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Johnson as the No. 11 player on his big board. He is considered by many as the No. 2 cornerback in the class behind Colorado dual threat star Travis Hunter.
“Johnson is a big cornerback with easy/fluid movement skills and excellent instincts,” Jeremiah said. “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 can alleviate any concerns about his speed during athletic testing in the spring. Overall, Johnson isn’t a perfect player, but I do love his blend of size and ball skills.”
