A strong argument can be made for any of three or four position groups to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ target in the first round of the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. Cornerback is flying under the radar as one of those needs, but the Steelers were 25th in passing yards allowed per game in 2024. Their pass rush was effectively neutralized because the corners were unable to cover long enough to let them get home. For NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, he sees a cornerback receiving top-10 buzz falling to the Steelers at pick No. 21.
“I don’t believe Johnson is the top-10 lock some seem to think he is, with the big corner facing injury and speed questions ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, but his skill set could bolster Pittsburgh’s secondary,” Edholm wrote.
Johnson is precisely the prototype corner that the Steelers have been after in recent years in the same vein at Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. He’s listed at 6-2, 205 pounds.
Johnson was a part of the Wolverines’ national championship team in 2023 and had four interceptions that year, including one returned for a touchdown. He followed that up with a pair of pick-sixes in 2024. He only had 10 passes defensed throughout his time in college, nine of those being interceptions, but Pro Football Focus’ coverage stats tell a positive story for him.
In 503 coverage snaps over the last two seasons, Johnson only drew 63 targets and allowed just 33 receptions for 462 yards and zero TDs and 6 INTs. Teams were avoiding him and scheming away from him. PFF shows him being much more effective as a zone defender than playing in man for the 2024 season.
Here is a cutup that shows Johnson’s smooth movements, closing speed, and ball skills via ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
If you take Travis Hunter out of the equation and view him as a wide receiver, some see Johnson as the top corner in the draft.
For a draft that is lacking in quarterback talent, I would be surprised to see a player like him slide but would be quite thrilled to pair him with Porter to lock down the outside for the Steelers for the next several years.
