A Michigan football helmet on the field during warmup at the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ex-NFL exec has Buccaneers landing top CB

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Collin Haalboom | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 9:00 AM ET

It's no secret that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would like to add a cornerback in this year's NFL Draft. To take it a step further, it's more likely than not that the team drafts multiple corners from this year's crop of prospects.

Depending on how the board falls, there's a strong chance that the Buccaneers would use their first round pick to select one of the top cornerback prospects in the class. Of course, that will depend on which players are available when Jason Licht and his staff are on the clock.

Former NFL scout and front office executive turned draft analyst for the NFL Network, Mark Ross, recently released his first ever mock draft of the year. The way that Ross sees the first round shaking out has the Buccaneers in a position to draft one of the best cornerback prospects in the entire draft at 19.

That player is Will Johnson of the University of Michigan. Here's what Ross had to say about the selection:

"Despite not running a pre-draft 40-yard dash, Johnson still feels like a top-10 talent in this class to me. He'd bring some much-needed playmaking ability to the back end of Todd Bowles' defense."

Prior to missing the bulk of the 2024 college football season, Johnson was on track to be a surefire top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, whether it's due to fatigue from analysts who have been talking about Johnson for so long, or the increasing stock of late risers at the same position, it appears as though Will Johnson could potentially slide to the back half of the first round on Thursday.

If that scenario does indeed come to fruition, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be wise to seriously consider making Johnson their first pick at 19th overall.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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