Johnson and Stewart Selected During Second, Third Rounds of NFL Draft
4/25/2025 11:50:00 PM | Football
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- University of Michigan defenders Will Johnson and Josaiah Stewart heard their names called on the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft held at Lambeau Field and the adjacent Titletown District in Green Bay, Wis. Johnson was selected in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals and Stewart was chosen in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams.
The 47th overall selection by the Cardinals, Johnson was the 15th pick of the second round. He was the fourth cornerback chosen in this year's draft. Johnson was a two-time All-American and All-Big Ten selection, earning first-team honors during the 2023 national championship season and 2024 second-team accolades after an injury-shortened junior season. He was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's outstanding defensive back in 2024 and was a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
Johnson appeared in 32 career games with 22 starts at cornerback, accumulating 68 tackles including four tackles for loss, nine interceptions and 10 pass breakups. He holds the Michigan career record with three interception returns for touchdowns. Johnson was also named the Defensive MVP of the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
At the back end of the third round, with the 90th overall choice, the Rams made Stewart a member of their organization. Stewart joined the Michigan program prior to the 2023 national championship season after spending two seasons at Coastal Carolina (2021-22). He made an immediate contribution as an edge defender and was a starter in 2024. He played in 26 games at Michigan and started 11 contests, racking up 21.5 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks among 71 total tackles. Stewart earned All-Big Ten second team honors in 2024 after collecting honorable mention honors in 2023.
The 2025 NFL Draft will conclude on Saturday (April 26) with rounds four through seven starting at noon on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
Notes
• Five total Wolverines have been selected in the top 90 picks of this year's draft.
• Four Michigan defenders have been selected in those 90 picks: Mason Graham (5), Kenneth Grant (13), Will Johnson (47) and Josaiah Stewart (90).
• A total of 23 Wolverines have been chosen in the top three rounds of the past five drafts (2021-25): 8 first-rounders, 6 second-rounders and 9 third-rounders.
