Cardinals take the steal of the draft with Will Johnson pick in second round

It's official. The Arizona Cardinals have used their second round pick on Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.

After aggressively rebuilding their defense throughout free agency and with their first-round selection of Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, the Cardinals have continued the trend. Arizona had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2024, largely due to a lack of talent across the board. Talent is no longer an issue. The Cardinals are set up to compete in 2025.

Arizona Cardinals draft Will Johnson with second-round pick

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort is putting on a masterclass. In both the first and second rounds, he has sat back and allowed top-tier prospects to fall right into his lap. He aced the Walter Nolen pick, and now he’s aced the second round.

Will Johnson would never have been available at this point in the draft if it were not for his injury concerns. Johnson has dealt with turf toe, a hamstring injury, and a knee injury over the past year. Clearly, NFL teams are not comfortable with their medical evaluation results for Johnson.

If the Cardinals believe that Johnson can play for any significant amount of time in the NFL, this pick is well worth it.

Johnson is legitimately a top-fifteen talent in this draft. The Cardinals just got him with the 47th pick. There will be no better value for any team, for any player in this draft.

Johnson is a prototypical zone coverage cornerback. He has incredible instincts and can trigger quickly when he sees quarterbacks make a decision.

Will Johnson is a perfect fit in Jonathan Gannon's scheme. The Cardinals primarily run zone coverage with two deep safeties. In that system, Johnson will be free to use his quick-trigger ability to make game-changing plays.

Johnson's injury is absolutely a concern, but he presents incredible value in the second round.