'They gon have to pay for this sh*t' - Cardinals' Will Johnson sends warning after NFL draft slide
The
Arizona Cardinals
didn't just draft a
cornerback
in the second round—they lit a fire under a young man with something to prove. While their first-round pick, Walter Nolen, satisfied the need for a disruptive force up front, it's their next move that could shake up the league. When
Arizona
scooped up Michigan's
Will Johnson
with pick No. 35, it wasn't just a calculated risk.
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It was a potential franchise-altering moment.
Will Johnson's slide turned personal and NFL might pay for it
Will Johnson | Episode 3 | The NFL Draft
Will Johnson wasn't supposed to be sitting there on Day 2. Not after the career he had at Michigan. Not after locking down top receivers and helping lead the Wolverines to a national championship. He was smart, physical, and polished by most accounts, a first-round lock.
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Undo
But a flagged knee at the
NFL
Combine changed everything.
Suddenly, teams got cold feet. Some erased him from their draft boards entirely. Others just didn't want to be the ones to take the gamble. Arizona had their eyes on him. They weren't worried, they were prepared and so was Johnson.
'They gon have to pay for this sh*t, I promise you. Arizona finna get a dawg,'
he told reporters shortly after being picked.
That's not just post-draft emotion talking. That's a message one aimed squarely at every single team that passed on him. He knows where he went. He knows who overlooked him. And now, he's got all the motivation in the world to turn that slide into a legacy.
Will Johnson brings the attitude and edge Arizona needs
What the
Cardinals
are getting is more than a corner with good tape. Johnson plays angry in the best way possible. He's aggressive at the line, doesn't shy away from physical matchups, and has the instincts of a veteran. Arizona's secondary needed an attitude. Johnson brings that in spades.
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The knee will be something to monitor. But in the eyes of the Cardinals' front office, the upside outweighed the risk and then some. They didn't see damaged goods. They saw a first-round talent with an edge. And if Johnson stays healthy, they may have just pulled off the biggest steal of the draft.
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