Dolphins could draft injury-prone Michigan national champion CB as potential Jalen Ramsey successor

Zain Bando

Dolphins could draft injury-prone Michigan national champion CB as potential Jalen Ramsey successor image

It has already been a tumultuous off-season for the Miami Dolphins. It could get even more interesting if the Dolphins actually opt to trade Jalen Ramsey. Assuming it happens sooner rather than later, the Dolphins appear ready for a new era.

In ESPN's latest NFL Mock Draft, Field Yates could see the Dolphins take a massive risk by drafting former national championship-winning cornerback Will Johnson at No. 13 overall Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

"Johnson was limited to six games in 2024 by a foot injury, but his size, ball skills and instincts are so good that he deserves to be a top-15 pick," Yates wrote. "Miami played zone coverage two-thirds of the time last season, which would offset any questions around Johnson's speed."

Despite an injury-prone season this past year, Johnson played a critical role in helping the Michigan Wolverines win a national title against the Washington Huskies in Jim Harbaugh's final season as a college coach. 

In 2023, Johnson secured a career-high four interceptions while adding a touchdown.

"I would just say that the coaches, Coach Harbaugh and Coach Herb and all those guys instill in us, the distractions, we’re built to last no matter what the outside circumstance is," Johnson told reporters following the 34-13 win. "That’s just what we’re all about."

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The Dolphins are still seeking long-term postseason success. Their last Super Bowl win came in 1974 to cap rhe 1973-74 season. One year earlier, they became the only team in NFL history to finish unbeaten.

The Dolphins' last playoff win came in 2000, so any sign of hope might be a good thing for one of the AFC East's biggest question marks.

For now, only time will tell.

Zain Bando

Zain Bando is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Over the years, Bando has written about various beats surrounding Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State Athletics but sticks to the Big Ten as his primary expertise. Outside of collegiate reporting, Bando covers MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated and hosts/co-hosts two podcasts as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network – Bando's Breakdowns and The MMA Outsiders, which air weekly on YouTube and are distributed on all podcast platforms Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons. Bando is a Chicago Suburban native and a member of the FWAA and USBWA, continuing to hone his professional skills as a sports journalist and media personality. Since June 2019, Bando's byline has been seen across many mediums, including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network (Sports News Highlights), Mike Farrell Sports, Reuters, and more. When Bando is not writing, he binges on old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes every Super Bowl, and manifests all the places he still has to travel to (even while bringing his laptop).