Michigan
Ex-Michigan CB Will Johnson confident ‘I’ll go to the team that’s supposed to pick me’
Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart has met with the Detroit Lions
Defensive end Josaiah Stewart prepares for the NFL draft at Michigan football pro day in Ann Arbor, Friday, March 21, 2025.
Will Johnson did not work out at Michigan football’s pro day Friday because of a hamstring injury he suffered while training, but the top cornerback in this year’s NFL draft said he plans to hold a private workout for teams April 14.
“It was kind of just (something that happened when I) got back from my toe (injury) in early January,” Johnson said. “When you’re doing the training we’re doing like this, it’s pretty intense, so just trying to run as fast as I can and hammy wasn’t ready for that yet.”
A first-team All-American in 2023, Johnson played in just six games last season because of a painful turf toe injury that he said left him unable to run for a period of time.
He called the string of injuries “frustrating;” he also missed time with a shoulder injury last year. And while some questioned how hard he pushed to get back on the field last fall given his status as a potential top-10 pick, Johnson said “everyone in this building and coaches, players, they all knew what I was dealing with.”
“Couldn’t run, couldn’t walk at first in the boot, all that stuff,” he said. “So I mean, it sounds like a toe, but I want people that say it’s just a toe to go try to run and cut and do all those things without their big toe and see how that goes for you.”
Ranked the No. 10 prospect in the draft by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., Johnson said teams have peppered him with questions about his injuries during pre-draft interviews but none seem overly concerned with his missed time.
Johnson had two interceptions last season after picking off seven passes his first two years and finished his Michigan career as the school’s all-time leader in interceptions returned for a touchdown. He held opponents to a passer rating of 52.6 last season, up from 30.9 in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
“It’s been frustrating,” he said. “I mean, I’ve missed some games this season because of injury, ’cause the toe and then this hammy, but I mean that’s just what comes with it. So I know what I can do on the field and like you said, I got a lot of film out, so I’m just — I know I’ll go to the team that’s supposed to pick me, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Johnson was invited to April’s draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and said he plans to attend with family, an honor that’s typically reserved for the players most likely to be drafted in Round 1.
He has had pre-draft visits already with two teams that pick in the first half of Round 1 — the Atlanta Falcons (No. 15) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 16) — and has a third scheduled next month, with the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6).
“I feel like I had a pretty good career here,” Johnson said. “Accomplished a lot of my goals, win a national championship, beat Ohio State, win Big Ten championship, so accomplished a lot of goals. But yeah, this season was tough. I mean, another goal was to do all those things this year, too, and I wasn’t able to be out there with the team.
“I did everything I could to be with the team and still help out the team in any way I could. But yeah, it was tough to not affect the game in a way I know I could and help the team get to that next level for sure.”
At the next level in the NFL, Johnson said he expects to impact games similar to how rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean did this year for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell had 12 pass breakups in 16 starts and finished runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while DeJean started nine games, was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and returned an interception for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
“I plan on having that type of year coming in and making an impact right now,” he said. “And the goal is always to help the team win first, win a Super Bowl, do all those things like those guys did do, and then try to get Rookie of the Year and all those goals, too. So that’s the plan.”
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 7 p.m., March 24, at the Birmingham Public Library.
Order your copy here.
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Before-and-after images of homes on Black Lake near Onaway provide perspectives on how the community was affected by April flooding.
Snowmelt and rain have stressed dams and caused lakes to flood in northern Michigan.
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media photos and videos that the agency captured of Cheboygan County floods on Friday, April 17 from both the ground and air.
Deputies “observed a level of destruction that simply cannot be understood from ground level,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Google Maps images taken from two locations on Black Lake in 2024, compared with the Friday images, show how the floodwater has changed the landscape.
On North Black River Road and Taylor Road, the water has overflowed to North Black River Road.
In the 400 block of South Black River Road, water has also flooded homes and lakeside property.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullet Lake, the Sturgeon River − and nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes,” the sheriff’s office post said. “What should be familiar shorelines are now unrecognizable expanses of water.”
“Our hearts are with every family affected by this flooding,” Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said in the post. “We know many of you are facing significant damage to your homes and property, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Please know you are not alone. We are working around the clock with our partners to ensure safety, provide support, and begin the process of recovery. Stay strong, stay connected, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, we will get through this together.”
Nearby, the UAW Black Lake Conference Center shared images on social media of floodwater threatening its Old Lodge.
The conference center is located at 2000 Maxon Road in Waverly Township.
The Cheboygan County Road Commission and the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management closed the bridge at Five Mile Point Road on Saturday, April 18 due to significant road washout in the area of South Black River Road and Red Bridge Road.
The sheriff’s office had encouraged residents in parts of the area to evacuate earlier in the week and said Saturday it had completed evacuation efforts on the west side of the lake.
TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 20-year-old Kalamazoo man is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree Friday evening in Texas Township, according to Michigan State Police (MSP).
It happened on South 3rd Street and West PQ Avenue around 6:50 p.m., troopers said.
While he was driving in a no-passing zone, the Kalamazoo man swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming vehicle and subsequently crashed into the tree, according to MSP.
The 20-year-old died at the scene. A passenger was hurt, but police said their injuries were non-life threatening.
Troopers do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor, and the two were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
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This incident remains under investigation by MSP.
A Southfield man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and equipment to create fake documents, federal prosecutors said.
Jerome Antwan Andrews, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing the driver’s license information and Social Security numbers of more than 250 people in a scheme that caused more than $550,000 in fraud losses, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors say Andrews admitted to having an embosser, a laminator, a card cutter and an ID card printer and admitted that his business model was aimed at creating and selling fake Social Security cards and driver’s licenses in the names of real people.
“Jerome Antwan Andrews and his criminal associates stole more than $1.5 million by submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to a pandemic program intended to help unemployed American workers. Today’s conviction of Andrews represents yet another attack in our war against fraud. It sends a stern warning that my office will relentlessly investigate those bad actors greedily lining their pockets with U.S. taxpayer funds,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Andrews faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, according to prosecutors. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor investigated Andrews’ case.
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