As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, they will explore every option to improve their roster. Omar Khan's roster needs have no bounds, and practically every positional group is on the table to be the first selection at pick 21. This includes the cornerback position.
Colorado's Travis Hunter is the ultimate prize, but Hunter is such an elite prospect that he'll likely end up playing wide receiver at the next level. But one cornerback who was once considered a bonafide blue-chip prospect is suddenly free-falling on draft boards.
Michigan's Will Johnson has had a year he would like to forget. The highly-touted cornerback was once considered a lock to be one of the top picks in the draft. However, in 2024, Johnson had his most inconsistent college season as a cornerback before injuries derailed his junior campaign with the Wolverines.
From there, things only got worse. Johnson was questioned at the NFL Combine for his lack of participation, and his 30 1/8'' arms fell well below the threshold nearly every team looks for in a boundary cornerback. Now things have gone from bad to worse for the potential Steelers draft prospect.
On Monday, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay announced that Johnson will do practically everything for NFL talent evaluators in his private workout... Oh, except run the 40-yard dash. McShay adds that Johnson has been running in the high 4.5s—which is undoubtedly the reason he opted out of running the 40 despite being at full health.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should avoid Michigan Wolverines CB Will Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft
I'm not going to be one of those talent evaluators who base everything on athletic metrics, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a right to be worried about Will Johnson's lack of top-end speed. Based on all of the evidence presented, they would be wise to avoid Johnson if the polarizing cornerback fell to the 21st overall pick in the NFL Draft.
There are only three reasons a player elects not to run the 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process: they have nothing to prove, they're injured, or they know they won't perform well. The reasoning for Johnson is easy to see; he was concerned about what the stopwatch might read.
There's no denying Johnson's elite ball skills, and a cornerback who can take the ball away consistently holds value. Johnson raked in nine interceptions in 32 career games at Michigan, and three of his picks were returned for defensive touchdowns.
However, a potentially concerning lack of speed should be enough to scare the Steelers away from taking the bait on Johnson.
If there's one position in which we know that speed does matter, it's cornerback. Mockdraftable has recorded every cornerback's 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine since 1999, and the data shows that there have been very few success stories with cornerbacks who run 4.55 or slower. Meanwhile, there are concerns that Johnson would test in the mid-to-late 4.5s, and his official number at the Combine could have been even slower had he run.
It makes sense as to why cornerbacks would need to be so fast on their feet. They have to read and react to what the wide receiver in front of them is doing, and possessing incredible make-up speed is a must.
Johnson could still end up being a very good cornerback in the right scheme, but he needs to land on a defense that plays a ton of 'off' coverage and zone, where he can see the play develop in front of him and crash down on routes to make plays on the football. This doesn't fit with the gameplan the Steelers are looking to run on defense.
There's a lot to like about Will Johnson's game, but his curious decision to opt out of running the 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process essentially confirms our fears: he lacks speed. The Pittsburgh Steelers would be wise to look elsewhere with the 21st overall pick if Johnson happens to be available on draft day.
