• Former Michigan cornerback Will Johnson is projected as a first-round pick in April’s NFL draft.
• Johnson was unable to work out at Michigan’s pro day on Friday.
• 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.

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.

MORE HELP FOR SECONDRY: Lions sign Avonte Maddox, Detroit native DB and Super Bowl winner, in free agency

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.

DENVER — A handful of Michigan fans made their way down to the first row inside Ball Arena, as close as they could get to Dusty May, who’d come to the sideline for a postgame radio interview.

“Dusty March! Dusty March!” one shouted, eliciting a smile from Michigan’s head coach. Even if he wasn’t comfortable with the nickname (see below), he was beyond pleased with his team’s 68-65 victory over UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

Here are some highlights from the postgame interviews with May and the Wolverines, who will face Texas A&M on Saturday.

May on the game’s final possession: “I thought they would go quick. We thought they would try to get a quick 2 with 19 seconds. When we got the switch, it got to about seven or eight, I was trying to signal Danny to foul. But I lost my voice. He forced a tough shot and Rubin (Jones) finished it with a big-time rebound.”

May on Michigan thriving in close games: “When you watch our guys the last five minutes of a game, there’s a different level of intensity and determination to win the game.”

Danny Wolf on how he reacted when Michigan lost its lead late: “When Tyler McGhie hit that 3 on me, I just had a smile on my face and I was just like, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ And I mean that’s what March Madness is and guys are gonna hit big shots, but it’s just how you respond.”

Wolf on Tre Donaldson’s clutch 3: “It’s that ball screen on the right wing. I know it’s going in and Tre loves these big-game shots and big-game moments. It’s nice when you have one of those guys on your team.”

Tre Donaldson on his clutch 3: “My teammates continue to go with me, and they trust me, and I’ve been able to continue to step up and be big for my team.”

May on the crowd coming to life when UC San Diego made a run: “Obviously when the underdog makes a run, all the in-between fans, the BYU fans or whoever that’s here started cheering for them. I’ll just put this out: We are the lower seed (against Texas A&M). We are the underdog. Go Blue. We’ll take everybody. Everyone can hop on board for one day.”

Nimari Burnett on Michigan’s poise in close games: “Us being in late-game situations all year, a lot of close game victories in the Big Ten, playing in a really, really good conference helped us for moments like this to be calm, be poised, even when it’s crazy.”

Will Tschetter on another wild win: “We’ve literally won every single way possible this year.”

Wolf on playing a mile above sea level: “There was a stretch in the first half when we went a while without a media (timeout). I looked at all my teammates and even the UCSD guys were talking at the line about the altitude. But it’s not just us. I feel it, they also feel it. So I mean it’s definitely a real thing, but you just gotta push past it.”

Donaldson on the basketballs used for the NCAA Tournament: “The balls are like, if y’all felt it, they’re like rocks. … But like my old coach Ira Bowman used to say at Auburn, it’s round and it’s orange.”

May on being called “Dusty March”: “No, I’m good with, I’m good with our guys — they deserve this. I’m just Dusty May.”

Wolf on the quick turnaround before facing Texas A&M: “We didn’t come here to win one game. Our coaches are calling it the Denver Invitational. You’ve got to get two to get to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.”

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After the Iowa State women’s basketball team survived a close call with Princeton in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night, Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly told his team he wanted them to celebrate the victory and not worry about Friday’s opponent.

His staff had already been preparing for the game.

The 11-seed Cyclones (23-11) will take on 6-seed Michigan (22-10) in the first round of March Madness on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT, at Purcell Pavilion. It’s a matchup Fennelly’s staff had already been getting ready for since Selection Sunday since the Wolverines would be waiting for the winner of Wednesday’s game.

Watch Iowa State women’s basketball vs Michigan live on Fubo (free trial)

“That was the one thing, if you were lucky enough to win, you knew who you were going to play,” Fennelly said. “It wasn’t the winner of a certain game. So, we did have some information.”

Every minute of preparation helps this time of year with quick turnarounds. Because Iowa State was in one of the First Four contests, the Cyclones knew exactly what would be awaiting them if they made it to the first round.

So, Fennelly had several of his assistant coaches, Latoja Schaben, Emily Hatfield and Rob Jenkins prepare a scouting report.  That way, the Cyclones could hit the ground running right after Wednesday night’s win.

The group of coaches met later Wednesday evening and broke things down. Fennelly stood in front of a whiteboard while his staff yelled out to him things that stood out about Michigan.

More: Iowa State women’s basketball guard Emily Ryan breaks Big 12 career assists record

That way, his players could rest up and enjoy the victory over Princeton. Fennelly and his staff didn’t even bring Michigan up to the team until they met Thursday morning. By then, the coaching staff had a good grasp of the opponent.

“They’re a really talented team,” said Iowa State guard Emily Ryan. “Lots of scoring weapons all around and defensively, they’re really solid and aggressive as well. So, a really good team.”

Here are three things to watch in Friday’s contest.

Michigan plays five guards

The Wolverines often play with five guards, which Iowa State has yet to encounter this season. That allows Michigan to play fast and efficiently. It ranks 25^th in the nation in scoring, averaging 78.1 points per game. The Wolverines shot 45% from the field and despite relying so much on guard play, do the bulk of their scoring from inside the perimeter.

“It’s (a matter of) can we keep them out of the lane, off the dribble,” Fennelly said. “The other thing that they do that we haven’t seen a lot is, they’ll rebound with all five guys. I mean, they’ll send five. Their guards go hard. That’s a challenge for us.”

Iowa State could have a mismatch opportunity with Audi Crooks

The Cyclones usually have the edge in the post with Crooks. The sophomore center led the Big 12 Conference in scoring and was a big reason for Iowa State’s come-from-behind victory Wednesday night. Her 6-foot-3 frame could pose plenty of problems for Michigan and its smaller lineup.

Iowa State, ironically, had a similar encounter in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament against Maryland. Crooks shot 18-of-20 from the floor and finished with 40 points.

“They start five guards, so obviously we have to change a few things, defensively,” said Iowa State guard Arianna Jackson. “I would say that goes both ways. They have to plan regarding Audi. When we get the ball to Audi, that’s a good matchup.”

More: Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly celebrates 800th career victory

The tempo will be much faster than Wednesday

Iowa State played a remarkably slow and methodical team in Princeton on Wednesday night. That won’t be the case for Friday’s matchup. The Wolverines will push it and go, go, go. One of the keys for Iowa State will be to keep Michigan from dictating the pace of the game.

That hasn’t been easy for opposing teams who sometimes tend to get sped up trying to keep up with Michigan.

“Just staying and going back to what we know, our type of offense, I think is going to be key, especially how fast Michigan plays,” Jackson said.

Iowa State women’s basketball vs. Michigan prediction

The season has been full of ups and downs for Iowa State, but it has found a groove lately, winning eight of the last 10 games. Both losses came to Baylor. While Michigan will be a tough matchup, the Wolverines don’t do many of the things that typically pose problems for the Cyclones.

Strong 3-point shooting and physical defenses are usually Iowa State’s biggest bugaboo. With a matchup that benefits Iowa State, the Cyclones likely will end up one win away from the Sweet 16.

Iowa State 79, Michigan 71

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.