The general consensus around the NFL seems to be that there is a pair of blue-chip, sure-thing prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. And while folks around the league will spend the next two months making cases for or against the likes of Mason Graham, Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Warren and others, the two names that are indisputable are Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. And, if you ask Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, then you could add the name Will Johnson to that list as well.
With the NFL Draft Scouting Combine kicking off on Thursday afternoon, Johnson joined Mike Florio and Chris Simms on the Pro Football Talk set to discuss his time at Michigan, his NFL Draft prospects, and of course, Travis Hunter, the top-ranked cornerback by most in the 2025 draft class. Johnson was asked directly by Simms if he ever got sick of hearing about Travis Hunter. It was a surprisingly direct question that Johnson provided a direct answer to.
“Lot of respect to him,” Johnson told Florio and Simms. “He’s won the Heisman, he did a lot of great things, but I know I’m the best corner in this draft. So I’m just waiting until I get on the field, let the play do the talking.”
The issue here for Johnson is that he wasn’t on the field nearly as often during his junior season at Michigan as anyone in Ann Arbor would’ve liked, therefore, his opportunities to let his play do the talking, at least during the 2024 season, were limited. Johnson appeared in just six games during the Wolverines’ 2024 campaign and last played on October 19th, missing the remainder of the season with turf toe. Meanwhile, Travis Hunter logged nearly 1,400 snaps on offense and defense combined during the 2024 season, proving to be by far the most durable player in the country.
However, in the tape we did see on Will Johnson, it’s possible that he does have a case worth making that if we’re stacking him up against Travis Hunter, and evaluating them only at cornerback, then maybe the former Michigan Wolverine is the better prospect. Johnson is a two-time All-American, a Freshman All-American, and was named the 2024 National Championship Game Defensive MVP after a performance in which he made four tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. early in the 4th quarter.
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