why is will johnson falling in draft

Will Johnson is falling in the draft mainly because of medical concerns and how they affected his 2024 season and pre‑draft process.

Why Is Will Johnson Falling in the Draft?

Big Picture: An Elite Talent With Red Flags

Will Johnson came into this cycle viewed as a possible top‑five pick and one of the best cornerbacks in college football, with prototypical size, length, and man‑coverage ability. But teams are now weighing his high upside against a growing list of injury and durability questions, which has pushed him down boards and even out of the first round in many scenarios.

In simple terms: teams still like the player , but they’re scared of the medical file.

Medical Concerns and Injury History

NFL insiders and team reports point to a cluster of injuries rather than one isolated issue.

Key points teams are worried about:

• Knee issue with “longevity” concerns
  • Johnson had knee surgery in spring 2023 and missed the first few games of Michigan’s title season.

* Multiple reports (including Albert Breer and ESPN/Adam Schefter) say some teams flagged his knee and worry it could shorten his career even if it’s fine short‑term.

• 2024 season derailed by multiple injuries
  • He only played about half the season (five or six games depending on the source) because of various injuries.

* He dealt with:
  * Shoulder injury that forced him out of a game and cost him at least one more.

  * Toe ligament injury that ended his junior season and kept him out of big matchups like Oregon and Ohio State.

  * Hamstring issue that popped up in the pre‑draft period.

• Limited pre‑draft testing
  • Johnson did not do athletic drills or run the 40 at the Combine, and he also sat out Michigan’s Pro Day due to the hamstring.

* When a player already has medical flags and then doesn’t test, teams get nervous because they can’t check boxes on speed, explosiveness, and current health.

Put together, front offices see a pattern: a great corner who has rarely been fully healthy the last two years, with a knee that some believe could shorten his prime.

Perception, Opt‑Out Talk, and Draft Room Politics

Beyond the raw medicals, there’s also some perception and narrative in play:

• Missed big games in 2024
  • His absence in marquee matchups led to speculation in some media and fan spaces that he might be “protecting his draft stock.”

* Even if that’s not fair, teams do dig into whether a player will play through pain or shut it down quickly, especially for star corners.

• Conflicting evaluations inside teams
  • On film, he’s still graded as one of the top corners in the class, and some analysts kept him as CB1 even as the injury stuff came out.

* But medical staffs and general managers often have veto power late in Round 1: if the doctors are nervous about an early pick, the room tends to pass and look for a “clean” prospect at another position.

• Risk vs. alternatives
  • This class has other cornerbacks and defensive players with less medical risk, so many teams opted for safer profiles, pushing Johnson down even if they admit he might be the better pure player when healthy.

What He Still Brings as a Prospect

Despite the slide, teams still view Johnson as a high‑upside starter if his body holds up.

Traits that keep him in the Day 2 mix:

• Prototypical frame: around 6'2", 200+ pounds with length to match big receivers.

• Man‑coverage standout: widely regarded as one of the best press‑man corners in college football during Michigan’s title run.

• Production and ball skills: across his career he allowed very few touchdowns, collected multiple interceptions, and posted one of the lowest passer ratings allowed in the country.

• Big‑game experience: starter and impact player on a national championship team, facing top receivers in pressure situations.

This is why some teams and analysts are calling his fall a potential “steal” for whoever grabs him early in Round 2 or later on Day 2.

How Forums and Fans Are Talking About It

If you scroll through fan forums and social media, you’ll see a mix of takes:

• “Total overreaction” camp
  • Many fans argue the league is overthinking it, pointing to his tape, Michigan pedigree, and the fact that his knee is reportedly fine short‑term.

* They compare him to past draft “slides” where medical fears never really materialized.

• “Red flag is real” camp
  • Others emphasize that multiple injuries plus uncertain knee longevity is exactly how careers get shortened, especially at a position that relies on sudden cuts and top‑end speed.

* From this view, passing on him in Round 1 is just rational risk management.

• “High‑risk, high‑reward” middle ground
  • A lot of discussion frames him as the classic boom‑or‑bust pick: if the medicals hold up, you get a true CB1 at a discount; if they don’t, you burn a premium pick on a guy who can’t stay on the field.

TL;DR – Why Is Will Johnson Falling?

• Teams are worried about his knee and long‑term durability, not just a one‑off injury.

• A 2024 season full of shoulder, toe, and later hamstring problems limited his games played and raised more red flags.

• He skipped athletic testing due to injury, giving scouts less recent data and more uncertainty.

• On tape he still looks like a top‑tier corner, which is why some see his slide as a potential massive value pick on Day 2.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.