Will Johnson waited and waited and waited some more to hear his name called during the NFL Draft this past April, but he had some friends from the Michigan football program to help pass the time.
As Johnson sat in the green room at the draft, he certainly anticipated being selected sooner than the 47th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. But that wasn't in the cards.
Fortunately, though, Johnson was kept company by numerous other Michigan football players, many of whom had already been drafted, the defensive back revealed in an article in ‘The Players Tribune'.
“The only thing that kept me sane was seeing my guys in that room with me — shoutout to Colston Loveland, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — those are my brothers!” Johnaon wrote.
“Seeing them get drafted was the highlight of night one for me.”
Johnson added that Graham, in particular, returned to the green room following his selection with the fifth overall pick by the Cleveland Browns.
“After getting his name called, Mason even came back to the green room to wait it out with me … which meant a lot. He didn’t have to do that … especially on such a big night for him.”
Graham and Johnson were key to the Wolverines' national championship run and title win in 2023; as sophomores, Johnson became one of the best defensive players in the country, being named an All-American, while Graham similarly transformed into one of the nation's best D-linemen.
While their final season at Michigan turned out poorly following the departure of Jim Harbaugh and several assistant coaches, each further proved to NFL scouts that they could produce at the next level. Unfortunately for Johnson, though, injuries limited him to just six games and kept him from participating in the NFL combine or in the Michigan pro day.
Concerns he had serious knee issues were reportedly a factor in Johnson, once thought to be a certain first-round pick, and a high one at that, to fall out of the first round and through the first half of the second round. Johnson said in his ‘Players Tribune' piece that he has “had ZERO problems” with his knee, from which some cartilage was removed previously.
Johnson and the Cardinals open the season on Sunday, Sept. 7 vs. the New Orleans Saints.
