WATCH: Michigan's Will Johnson amps up 2025 NFL Draft stock with savvy pick-6 vs USC

Michigan Wolverines star cornerback Will Johnson showed the nation why they should not throw his way.  In one big play in Michigan’s 27-24 Big Ten win over USC, one of the top defensive backs in the land showed the NFL he is the real deal.

With his team up just 13-10 in the Week 4 matchup against the Trojans, Johnson put Michigan football on top 20-10 with the biggest play of the game, a pick-six off USC quarterback Miller Moss.  A play that showed just why he is a sure top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a player who will have no problem adjusting his skillset to the professional level.

Will Johnson showing off his ballhawk ability

The 6-foot-2, 202-pound cornerback, who mastered four INTs in 2023, made his second INT in 2024 a memorial by amping up the Michigan crowd with his eye-opening play in which he jumped a hitch-route to take it to the house:

It was his third-career pick-6 and a play that NFL scouts will look at in evaluating his elite corner ability in the NFL.  With ideal size for a pro level cornerback, Johnson showed off his acceleration in this play, closing out on a receiver and jumping the route with his quickness and a ballhawk ability that is elevated with him being a former wide receiver.  In all, his drive to break the route will have any quarterback thinking twice when they throw his way. 

Although not his longest pick-6 which came in the season-opener against Fresno State, Johnson broke a school record by recording his third career interception return for a touchdown.  There’s a good bet it won’t be his last this season or at the NFL level.

2025 NFL Draft: 3 teams in early position to draft Will Johnson

Which NFL team would not like to draft a player like Will Johnson is a better question.  In a deep cornerback class, teams in need of a top-level corner will have options like Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, but Johnson’s experience against top wide receivers taken in the 2024 NFL Draft will be more intriguing.

As a sophomore he went head-to-head with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze giving up just three catches and snagging an interception in those matchups.  With that said, a team like the Los Angeles Rams could find themselves in position to draft a player like Johnson, especially going up against Harrison Jr. twice a year. 

The Tennessee Titans are a team that now hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.  Could they make Will Johnson the top player in the draft?  Also, the Indianapolis Colts are a team to watch as far as their draft positioning.  If they end up in the top 10, they could be an ideal landing spot for the Michigan Wolverines star.