Film room: Will Johnson the interception machine

Breaking down what the Michigan cornerback could bring to Las Vegas

While adding a cornerback with the sixth overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft was already on the table for the Las Vegas Raiders, the defense’s need for a corner heightened with the decision to move on from Jack Jones.

As a result, the Raiders taking Michigan’s Will Johnson in the first round later this month has gained some steam recently and, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’ll be in Las Vegas for a visit next week.

A big part of what makes Johnson a coveted draft prospect is he was a ballhawk in Ann Arbor, racking up nine interceptions (including three pick-sixes) in 32 games or two and half seasons. On top of that, he’s come up big in big moments by intercepting passes against Ohio State and in the National Championship during the 2023 campaign and sealing victories this past season with a couple of pick-sixes late in the second half of games.

While the former Wolverine missed seven contests last fall, he was stingy in coverage the year before by surrendering just a 45.9 completion percentage (17/37) and 267 yards when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. That combined with four interceptions resulted in a 30.9 passer rating which led all Big 10 cornerbacks and ranked seventh in the FBS (minimum 119 coverage snaps).

So, let’s dive into the tape and see what Johnson could bring to Las Vegas.

Of course, we have to start with the interceptions and the clip above comes from the 2023 season.

Lined up across from Marvin Harrison Jr., Johnson is in man coverage while Michigan is bracketing Harrison with the safety. That means Johnson has help over the top against a vertical route, so he can park himself about five yards off the line of scrimmage.

He jumps all over the China route/short in, cutting the receiver off and getting inside leverage. That puts the corner in a great spot to capitalize when the quarterback decides to force the throw, resulting in a turnover and a great scoring opportunity for the Wolverines.

Fast forward to this past fall, a big reason why Johnson has racked up so many interceptions is he has impressive instincts and route recognition. He had some help with the bracket coverage in the previous clip but this time, he’s one-on-one with the outside receiver against the bunch set from Fresno State.

Notice how Johnson starts creeping toward the line of scrimmage right before the snap. Something tipped him off that the screen was coming, and he was right as he crashed downhill and intercepted the pass like it was intended for him for the pick-six.

To add some context, this helped seal the win for Michigan as they were only up by 13 points late in the fourth quarter with Fresno State threatening to make it a one-possession game. Instead, the defense’s playmaker comes up clutch to put the game on ice.

This time, Michigan is running a fire zone where Johnson has to read the releases of the two receivers on his side of the formation to determine who he’s responsible for covering. With the linebacker (No. 28) taking care of any short routes or routes breaking toward the middle of the field, the cornerback is technically responsible for the vertical route.

However, Johnson also has his eyes on the quarterback, who wants to throw to the short curl route for the conversion on third and short. Once the quarterback starts his throwing motion, Johnson breaks on the curl route, steps in front of the receiver and has reservations for six once again.

Also, this was another big situation where Michigan was only up by four points about halfway through the third quarter in what ended up being just a three-point victory for the Wolverines.

We’re moving away from the interceptions but the rep above is another strong example of the Michigan product’s ball skills and instincts.

He’s sitting in Cover 3 and gets a short curl route from the tight end with no vertical threats on his side of the field. So, he immediately drives on the route when the tight end starts to turn to the quarterback and shows off some impressive acceleration to make contact right as the ball arrives.

On top of that, Johnson does a great job of playing through the tight end’s back and ripping hands at the catch point to come away with a PBU. Considering the size disadvantage, that’s an excellent rep from the corner.

Bear with me here as we’re hoping in the time machine and going back to the 2023 campaign.

First, it’s clear Michigan’s coaching staff had a lot of confidence in Johnson’s coverage skills. He’s lined up across from Harrison again and is on an island with the fire zone call and the safety working toward the other side of the field, putting last year’s No. 4 overall pick one-on-one with one of this year’s top cornerback prospects.

Johnson is playing off coverage and has inside leverage pre-snap. Post-snap, Harrison attacks Johnson’s leverage to try to create some space near the sideline on the go route. However, the corner does a good job of maintaining his positioning while staying on top of the route before speed-turning and cutting the receiver off to help force the incompletion.

While a play like this doesn’t stand out on the box score or stat sheet, this is a great rep against elite competition.

Finally, Johnson is also a solid run defender, earning PFF run defense grades in the 70s during each of his three college seasons. The clip above is a good example of what he can bring in that phase of the game and highlights how he can contribute as a nickelback at the next level.

While Johnson is still lined up as an outside corner, Fresno State is in a reduced formation where the receiver at the bottom of the screen is essentially lined up with the same width as if he were in the slot. So, Michigan blitzes the corner off the edge like he was playing nickel.

Post-snap, he has the athleticism to not only make the pulling guard miss but also sink his hips to redirect, come flat down the line and avoid overrunning the running back. That allows him to make the tackle right at the line of scrimmage.

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Given the Raiders’ need at the position and the former Wolverine’s talent, there’s a strong chance he ends up becoming the sixth overall selection in a couple of weeks. Johnson’s game is pretty similar to Devon Witherspoon’s, who Pete Carroll selected fifth overall two years ago with the Seattle Seahawks.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Michigan product be used in a similar role to Witherspoon’s in Seattle, as a hybrid inside-outside cornerback.