Sources: Michigan DB Johnson to miss pro day with new injury

Jeff LegwoldMar 7, 2025, 03:30 PM ET

CloseJeff Legwold covers the Denver Broncos at ESPN. He has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years and also assists with NFL draft coverage, joining ESPN in 2013. He has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999, too. Jeff previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans at previous stops prior to ESPN.

Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, who missed the second half of the Wolverines’ season with a turf toe injury, has suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the school’s pro day later this month.

Sources told ESPN’s Jordan Reid the injury isn’t considered serious, but that Johnson will not participate in the school’s on-campus pro day March 21. Johnson is now scheduled to have a private workout April 14.

Johnson played in six games this past season – he has not played in a game since October — and finished the year with 14 tackles. He returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns in 2024 and his 128 yards on interception returns still led the Big Ten.

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Johnson, who also did not work out at the scouting combine last week, is the No. 11 player overall in Reid’s latest mock draft and is the No. 9 player overall on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest big board.

Johnson said at the combine “(his injury) sounds like just a toe, but I had tore some ligaments in my toe, so I couldn’t run, couldn’t plant , couldn’t do anything … for a while, really until mid-January.”

Johnson also added at the combine that, up until he went to Indianapolis, he had not suffered any setbacks in his training. This latest injury happened after the combine ended.

Johnson was named the Defensive MVP of the 2023 College Football Playoff title game when the Wolverines closed out the ’23 season with the national championship. Michigan was 8-5 this past season.

Johnson is the second-rated cornerback on ESPN’s consensus draft board, behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter, but Johnson said in Indianapolis he believed “I’m the best corner in the draft.”