The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft will begin tonight (Thursday), and it’s been a foregone conclusion that Michigan football should have four players go on Thursday. Both defensive tackles, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, tight end Colston Loveland, and cornerback Will Johnson.

Johnson, a one-time top-five projection, has seen his stock fall in mock drafts in the past few weeks. The All-American cornerback played in just six games for the Wolverines in his final season of college football due to a lingering injury. Johnson then didn’t participate in either the NFL Draft Combine or Michigan’s pro day. He recently had a private workout for teams, but it hasn’t helped Johnson among the NFL Draft gurus.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Johnson was viewed as a top-20 pick, but NFL Network analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein released two separate final mock drafts, and neither analyst has Johnson going in the first round.

Johnson’s play does the talking when on the field. In his three seasons at Michigan, Johnson was a two-time All-American, and shut down Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Washington’s Rome Odunze. Johnson set a new Michigan record returning three interceptions for a touchdown in his career.

If Johnson truly does fall, whichever team picks him will get a top-10 talent, but staying healthy will be the sticking point when it comes to teams taking him early — or falling.

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Published 8 Hours Ago|Modified 3:29 PM EDT