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The Michigan football program had a really talented defense last year, and two stars in Will Johnson and Mason Graham are returning this year as Sherrone Moore takes over as head coach after Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers.
It will be nice for Sherrone Moore to have talented players like Will Johnson and Mason Graham to lean on in year one of his head coaching tenure. Both players were big parts of why Michigan football was so good defensively last year, and when looking at the latest ESPN mock draft, it is clear why. Field Yates has Johnson going No. 6 to the New England Patriots and Graham going No. 7 to the Minnesota Vikings.
A lot can change between now and next year's NFL Draft, but the fact that both of those players are seen as top 10 talents at the moment paints a good picture of how talented the Wolverines are on the defensive side of the ball, even though the depth is not as deep this year. It will be interesting to see how both players fare this season, how their stock is impacted and how Michigan football performs as a result.
Michigan football CB Will Johnson's fit in the NFL
Any team could use a corner like Johnson, even one like the Patriots, who already have a good young corner in Christian Gonzalez. Yates does not see the Patriots passing on a talent like Johnson.
“I'd say New England is more likely to address offensive tackle than cornerback next spring, but I'm just not concinced enough on the class' second-best left tackle in my early tape study to go that direction and pass up Johnson,” Yates said. “To that end, LSU's Will Campbell could certainly enter the mix, but Johnson would provide a mix of need and value. Johnson has lockdown-corner potential in the pros. His size (6-2, 202 pounds), efficient movement skills and physicality scream NFL star, and he would tag team with Christian Gonzalez to form a lethal duo. Johnson has seven interceptions over two seasons.”
On paper, Johnson and Gonzalez could be one of the best corner duos in the NFL.
Mason Graham's fit in the NFL
The Vikings have a smart mind at defensive coordinator in Brian Flores, but there are some positions that they can improve. Corner is one of those positions, but with Johnson off the board in Yates' mock draft, Graham is a great fit.
“While Michigan does not have the sheer depth of draftable talent that it did last year, its star power at the top looks better on paper entering this season,” Yates said. “There are plenty of ways to describe Graham, but the best would be ‘play wrecker,' as he lives in opposing backfields with ridiculous explosion and quickness off the snap. He reminds me a bit of Rams 2024 second-round pick Braden Fiske but with more length and younger at just 20 years old (Fiske was 23 entering his final college season.) In his first year as a starter last season, Graham had three sacks and was third on the team in tackles per game (3.2).”
As of right now, the Vikings' interior defensive line is pretty barren when it comes to long-term pieces. Graham would be a seamless fit as the main piece on the defensive line.
