Arizona Cardinals WR Michael Wilson believes the hype surrounding CB Will Johnson

Wilson sees a rookie who is dead serious about football and will live up to the hype.
While he was on the Arizona Cardinals' first selection in the 2025 NFL draft, cornerback Will Johnson might be the rookie that fans are most excited to see. He was selected in the second round, taken 47th overall after he was expected to be drafted in the first round, and in some projections he was going in the top 10.
But it isn't just fans who are excited to see what Johnson can do as a rookie. Teammates are, too.
Receiver Michael Wilson is one of them.
He raved about Johnson when he appeared on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM during minicamp.
"Yeah, he looks focused," Wilson said of Johnson. "When certain guys step in a locker room or step on a field, you can tell if someone's dead serious about football. And I think he's one of those guys that lives, breathes, and dies football.
"I think he's going to be somebody who lives up to the hype of the pick where he was taken. I think, going into last year, you saw people were saying he should have been a top 10 pick or was projected to a top 10 pick and then had the injury situation, whatever. I don't know. I'm not educated on all that, but I know he fell in the draft because of injury and stuff. So I think he's going to be a special player."
Wilson will likely see a lot of reps against Johnson in training camp starting at the end of July.
If Wilson is excited about what Johnson can be, that is something to pay attention.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

USA Today

36 minutes ago

• USA Today

New PGA Tour CEO must focus on television rights as much as LIV golf split

There are likely many reasons that Brian Rolapp was hired as the new CEO of the PGA Tour, and several reasons that he will take over day-to-day operations of the men's tour while Commissioner Jay Monahan slowly heads toward the end of his contract in 2026. In many ways, it seems like Monahan beat the odds by staying in his job so long, two years after his announcement of a deal with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund caused questioning and even anger from rank-and-file tour members over the proposed deal. Rolapp will have to deal with the continuing efforts to end the split in the game between the PGA Tour and LIV Tour. But pretty high up among those reasons Rolapp has the new CEO job has to be Rolapp's previous position with the National Football League, the unstoppable steamroller of American sports. Rolapp, you see, was most recently the chief media and business officer of the NFL. In that capacity, he was an integral part of media rights negotiations for the league, and we all know that it is media money that pushes the NFL to higher and higher heights each year. Schupak: Can Brian Rolapp make the PGA Tour a 'ham sandwich business' again? That's important because the looming renewal of television rights for the PGA Tour is going to be a priority. Where golf will be seen in the future, or at least how consumers can view the PGA Tour, will be key to the growth of the game in the coming years. The tour's current contracts with CBS, NBC and ESPN run through 2030, contracts that bring in $700 million. Those contracts do not include events like the Masters or the U.S. Open, non-PGA Tour events that have separate deals with the networks. So Rolapp might well focus on two main issues when it comes to broadcast rights deals. First, in an era of spotty ratings, should the deals be renegotiated before the completion of the contracts in 2030? Second, in looking beyond 2030, will Rolapp and the PGA Tour look for something other than traditional television platforms like broadcast television? Anyone who watched the U.S. Open last week knows that at least some of the broadcast hours were exclusively on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform. You could also watch the event on Peacock while the championship was being shown on NBC. Streaming is becoming the new normal in American sports, with Netflix showing NFL games, particularly on Christmas Day, Peacock grabbing NBA games under that league's new deal with NBC and even the PGA Tour having a digital deal to show its tournaments on ESPN+. Other NBA games are moving from TNT this year to Amazon Prime next year. It seems logical that more and more of the PGA Tour's product will find its way behind paywalls as cable continues to bleed subscribers. Yahoo Finance reports cable subscriptions were down by 1.6 million in the first quarter of this year and 6 million since the first quarter of 2024. Options for streaming for the tour include ESPN+, which already works with the tour. Could the tour put its own streaming app together, like other sports and teams are doing? Peacock and potentially Paramount+ are natural partners because of their association with NBC and CBS. We haven't mentioned yet that Comcast, which owns NBC, is spinning off many of its cable networks in the coming year to the highest bidder. Part of that package will be Golf Channel, which shows at least the first two rounds of most PGA Tour events and all four rounds of numerous events, including The American Express in La Quinta each January. It could be that the tour has to negotiate separate deals with Golf Channel once it splits from Comcast. If the PGA Tour found another outlet to show its events, would Golf Channel even exist? It's a lot to take in, especially with just four and a half years left in the current contracts. You know the tour and the networks would rather have a new deal done much earlier, not waiting until the last minute. That is at least part of the landscape that Rolapp will inherit as the first-ever CEO of the PGA Tour. It might not be as front-burner headline worthy as the negotiations with LIV, but in the long term, television rights might be just as important. If the NFL has streaming for its games, it might make sense that Rolapp at least explores that area for the PGA Tour.

Yahoo

37 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Former Eagles Receiver Given Respect in New Role

Former Eagles Receiver Given Respect in New Role originally appeared on Athlon Sports. At first glance, it's hard to call Olamide Zaccheaus a quality receiver for his work with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. Advertisement The former Atlanta Falcon and Washington Commander caught just 10 passes during his lone season in Philadelphia with two touchdowns. Zaccheaus was used more as a blocker overall but was ignored in the passing game. Last year with Washington, Zaccheaus' numbers improved. He recorded over 500 yards receiving in the nation's capital. Now, the veteran has signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Bears. Zaccheaus won't be an everydown player in Chicago, but that doesn't mean he can't be impactful. Bill Barnwell of ESPN named the Bears receiver one of the best fourth receivers in the league today. "While Zaccheaus might have been something closer to the second or third wide receiver for the Commanders last season, he is expected to slot in behind DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and rookie second-round pick Luther Burden III in Chicago," Barnwell said. "Don't be surprised if Zaccheaus is on the field more often than you would expect -- coaches love him." Advertisement It's easy for coaches to love what Zaccheaus brings to the table. Organizations love the veteran's blocking abilities. Zaccheaus isn't a player who complains about not getting the ball, either. It's a good reminder of how important a player like Zaccheaus is for teams around the league. And why the Bears came away with one of the better fourth receivers in the league on the open market this offseason. Related: Eagles Legends Shine on ESPN's All-Quarter Century NFL Team Related: Nick Sirianni's Stunning Turnaround Lands Him Among NFL's Top Coaches This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

USA Today

38 minutes ago

• USA Today

Ravens to watch: Why these seven under-the-radar players could surprise in 2025

We're looking at seven lesser-known Baltimore Ravens who could have a breakout season in 2025 The 2025 NFL offseason was a success for the Baltimore Ravens team, still looking to reach its first Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson as the quarterback. Baltimore wasn't overly active during NFL free agency. Still, the team added a future Hall of Fame wide receiver to the passing game, a versatile linebacker to the special teams, and a Pro Bowl cornerback on the final day of minicamp. Baltimore lost five key contributors or starters in free agency, and the team remains amid a Super Bowl window and has restocked the roster with 11 draft picks in April. The Ravens landed Malaki Starks in the first round and secured Mike Green after he slipped to Round 2. With training camp now one month away, we're looking at seven under-the-radar Ravens who could have a breakout season. Edge Rusher Adisa Isaac Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh are the unquestioned starters, but the Ravens are hoping 2024 third-round pick Adisa Isaac can take the next step. Isaac saw action in four games and played 32 defensive snaps, as his NFL debut was delayed by a hamstring issue, which sidelined him for the Ravens' first two games. RB Keaton Mitchell Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell says he feels better than he did three years ago. As a rookie, Mitchell led all running backs with at least a dozen attempts in yards per carry (8.4 avg), and he has set personal records in all of his speed tracking analytics this offseason. DB T.J. Tampa Tampa only played seven games in his 2024 rookie campaign season. Hampered by an ankle injury that plagued him since Oct. 24, the former Iowa State star couldn't contribute in his first year, but he offers height, length, speed, and physicality. OL Daniel Faalele After moving from offensive tackle to offensive guard, Faalele was named a Pro Bowl alternate after surrendering one sack and 30 pressures in 504 pass-blocking opportunities last season. An off-season working out with Ronnie Stanley should allow Faalele to take the next steps as a run blocker. OL Andrew Voorhees Vorhees was the initial starter at left guard in 2024 before suffering an injury and getting benched in favor of Patrick Mekari for Weeks 4 and 5, before the move was made permanent. The former USC star should get the nod heading into training camp. OLB Tavius Robinson The former Ole Miss pass rusher had 3.5 sacks and 12 QB hits in a reserve role last season. DB Beau Brade Last summer, Brade made the Ravens' 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie free agent after starring at River Hill High School and the University of Maryland. In the games he appeared in, Brade was mainly relegated to special teams roles and only saw the field on defense late in the fourth quarter of games where victory was well in hand. Braden recorded just three total tackles, including just one solo, and played 207 snaps on special teams compared to just 11 on defense. He was inactive for both playoff games. DB Sanoussi Kane Kane is a thumper who also stood out on defense in the preseason. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a single reception on 30 coverage snaps, produced a coverage grade of 73.4, and recorded a forced incompletion and a tackle for loss.