Depending on what his drafting team considers him, Travis Hunter, the two-way star and Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado will either be the first cornerback or first wide receiver picked in the NFL Draft.
The widespread consensus is that the next cornerback who will come off the board is Michigan’s Will Johnson, and that could happen somewhere inside the top 10. If that proves to be true, unless the Buffalo Bills are willing to part with a whole lot of draft capital to trade up, he’ll be out of their range.
However, there has been some waffling on Johnson in a few circles, and some mock drafters have him slipping into the teens, while some have him all the way down in the 20s.
If he did happen to slide for whatever reason, at what point would it be worth it for general manager Brandon Beane - who is never averse to making draft night deals - to start working the phones?
Given their glaring hole on the boundary opposite Christian Benford, and the current underwhelming veteran free agent market, the draft seems like the best place to find a potential starter. And it would not be unprecedented for a rookie corner to start for Sean McDermott.
Tre’Davious White did it in 2017 as the No. 27 overall pick in the first round, and Benford emerged from the depths of the sixth round in 2022 to do so. If Johnson were somehow attainable, chances are he’d be able to join that twosome as a rookie starter.
Will Johnson helped Michigan win a national championship
In 2023, Johnson was one of the best defensive players in the country and he helped Michigan win the national championship, earning the game’s defensive MVP award. He started 11 games that year and earned first-team All-Big-10 honors as he picked off four passes, returned one for a TD, made 27 tackles, and allowed a miniscule 45.9 completion percentage into his coverage area.
In 2024 he was limited to six games due to a turf toe injury, though he still managed two interception return touchdowns. He did not work out at the combine or Michigan’s pro day on March 21 because he also was dealing with a hamstring issue, but April 14 is the day he will strut his stuff for scouts and that could determine which range he slots into.
There is no doubt the talent is there to be a very good starter in the NFL, perhaps even a Pro Bowler, especially in a zone-based scheme which McDermott prefers, even though there’s a hint that the Bills will incorporate more man coverage in 2025. Johnson stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds so the size is exceptional, but he will need to improve his tackling as a pro.
McDermott was asked how important being a good, physical tackler is, and whether that can be taught.
“They have to have certain traits, so what you see on tape may not be a be-all, end-all, like may not be ‘Hey, they ...
