The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Green Bay Packers are doing a mini remodel of the cornerback room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue this offseason. They lost Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell to free agency and Jaire Alexander’s days inside that room could be numbered.
Brian Gutekunst also signed Nate Hobbs to a four-year deal. The former Las Vegas Raider can play in the slot or on the boundary and gives Jeff Hafley another versatile piece in the secondary.
The makeover of that room will continue during the 2025 NFL Draft and it would be shocking if Gutekunst didn’t use a pair of picks on the position.
A potential target in the first round is Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. The Wolverine cornerback checks in at No. 16 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A five-star recruit, Johnson recorded two tackles for loss and picked off three passes during his first season on campus. In 2023, Johnson recorded two tackles for loss and four interceptions.
This past season, Johnson missed seven games due to turf toe and a shoulder injury. In six games, he recorded two interceptions, three pass deflections and one tackle for loss.
“Johnson’s greatest strength is his football instincts and IQ,” Anthony Broome, a Michigan reporter for The Wolverine On3, said. “He was one of Michigan’s most well-studied players and a film junky. One of his highlight plays from the Ohio State game in 2023 was jumping a route intended for Marvin Harrison Jr., which led to an interception. He was in a spot you could only be if you’ve watched the tape and repped it a million times. There are plays like that all over his film.”
Johnson is a long, physical cornerback. He’s got excellent footwork to mirror receivers in coverage. He has easy change-of-direction skills and flexible hips. The former five-star recruit is a technician in coverage and smooth in his pedal.
To go along with his athleticism and technique, Johnson is an instinctive cornerback who shows a great understanding of route concepts. He trusts his eyes and his film work. Johnson quickly drives on throws in front of him. While he doesn’t have track speed, Johnson is a fluid athlete and is able to slow things down due to his instincts.
“He’s effective because of his length and athleticism,” Broome said. “He’s got the prototypical size you’d like to see along with the ball skills, and mix that in the film study and you get a guy who has an extremely high floor.”
A high school wide receiver, Johnson has natural ball skills and never panics when the ball is in the air. He has all the tools to lock down half the field and with his ball skills, he’ll make quarterbacks pay for throwing in his direction.
“His ball skills are incredible, and you can see why there was a time some thought he might be able to be a two-way prospect between corner and wideout coming out of high school,” Broome said. “A lot of it goes back to good technique and honing his craft, in addition to having the film study part of his game down.”
Johnson is alert in run support. His physicality carries over in run support. However, he needs to bring that physicality more consistently. His technique looked sloppy in limited action this past season and he was tagged with nine missed tackles in six games.
Johnson plans to hold a private workout for teams on April 14. Prior to the season, he was No. 28 on Bruce Feldman’s Annual Freaks list.
From Feldman:
“Johnson had the fastest time this offseason on the team on Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test at 2.27 seconds. He did the 3-cone drill in 6.57 seconds, displaying his ability to change directions and bend.”
Fit with the Packers
The foundation of Hobbs, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine is a solid, if not underwhelming cornerback room. Throw in Javon Bullard, who could be the team’s starting nickel cornerback and that room gets a little more intriguing.
If Johnson slides to the Packers in the first round, it’s a run the pick to the podium type selection. There would be no hesitation in drafting the Michigan cornerback.
Johnson is a playmaker at the cornerback position. In today’s NFL, there is no such thing as a lockdown cornerback. Even the great ones are going to get beat. With his size, physicality, ball skills and awareness in coverage, Johnson would immediately become Green Bay’s most talented cornerback.
“I would have zero issues using a top-15 draft pick on Johnson,” Broome said. “He played for a pair of NFL defensive coordinators in college in Jesse Minter and Wink Martindale, so you know he is going to pick up the terminology and handle his business. His nagging injury history would give me some pause on using a blue-chip selection on him, but I think he’s one of the safest corner picks in the class, if not the safest.”
If Johnson falls to the Packers in the first round, he’d be a day-one starter on the boundary for the Packers. He’s a natural playmaker and a well-rounded player. Draft him without hesitation and the Packers have a potential cornerstone player at cornerback.