Walter Nolen’s introductory news conference after picked by Cardinals
Introductory news conference for Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen after being selected by the Arizona Cardinals No. 16 overall in the NFL draft.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon may have been as shocked as Will Johnson when Johnson fell to him at pick No. 47 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“When we left on Thursday, we had him graded very high,” Gannon said to Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio. “And in my mind I was like, ‘There is no chance he’s there when we pick at 2. Like none.’ Right?
“And we get there Friday, and Monti (Ossenfort) has all these algorithms that he has all the analytics people run and all this stuff. And I said ‘What are the chances that he’s there at 2?’ And they’re like ‘Coach, like 0.02. Like, no chance.'”
The “0.02” percent chance won out, as the Michigan Wolverines’ cornerback was available for the Cardinals to take with their second-round pick, and they selected him.
“So when he was sitting there, I’m like; ‘Dude am I missing something? Like, this is the best corner in the draft. Like what are we talking about?'” Gannon said.
Johnson was tied for the nation’s lead last season with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. He was the only Big Ten player with two. He finished his college career (three years) with nine interceptions.
“And there was a group of players we liked, right when we were picking, and that was kind of a no-brainer, too,” Gannon said. “We’re like: ‘We think this guy’s a starting corner, and just the person is phenomenal.’
“The intangibles. He’s very intelligent. And it really is a scheme fit for us, too, so it was like; ‘Dude, let’s take that guy.’ So when we picked him it was like; ‘Holy cow, man.’ … I did not think he was going to be there.”
Johnson can relate. According to Sports Illustrated’s Donnie Druin, Johnson “fully expected to be a first-round pick,” and he is “convinced he’ll be the steal of the draft.”
“When we picked him, literally like eight defensive coordinators texted me like ‘Oh my God!’ Like ‘number one corner on the board!’ Like, they all want him,” Gannon said. “For whatever reason, he came to us.”
Before Gannon revealed these things, he and Schein discussed that the speculation as to why Johnson dropped to the second round is due to injury concerns with his knee. Johnson played in 12 of 15 games in 2023 and six of 13 games in 2024. Gannon said the team was “really comfortable” with Johnson’s medical situation.
Johnson is on the same page, as Druin reported that Johnson said that his “knee has been 100% for two years.”
At 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 202 pounds, Johnson brings size to the cornerback position. Cardinals incoming third-year cornerback Garrett Williams is expected to start no matter how Johnson performs in camps and the preseason, but Johnson could take a starting spot away from Starling Thomas V or Max Melton. If that happens, the Cardinals would have more flexibility because they can more frequently prioritize Williams as a nickelback, where he also fits.
The Cardinals allowed the fifth-fewest pass touchdowns in the NFL last season (20), but were more toward the middle of the pack in fewest pass yards allowed (3,674 yards) at 14th. If Johnson is healthy, it appears that Gannon — along with eight NFL defensive coordinators (and likely nine with Cardinals DC Nick Rallis) — expect the Cardinals to improve in their pass defense.
(This story was updated to add or change a gallery.)