Cardinals Go Good Will Duck Hunting on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft

Cardinals Go Good Will Duck Hunting on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft In a Burch-bark dinghy with a 28 horsepower Johnson outboard motor on the Azraq wetlands of Jordan.

Imagine if anyone had mocked this for the Cardinals:

• R1 (#16) —- Walter Nolen III, DT, Mississippi
• R2 (#47) —- Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
• R3 (#78) —- Jordan Burch, ED, Oregon

No NFL mock draft simulator would have ever allowed it.

I mean, how in the world could these three stellar picks have happened?

The answer is —-> by a string of miracles.

Miracles are not necessarily surprising things that wouldn’t happen —- they are miracles because of the extraordinary timing of the events.

For example —- the Red Sea does part —- thus, the miracle at the Red Sea was that the body of water just so happened to part at the precise time when the Israelites needed to escape the Pharoah’s army.

Let’s therefore list the number of miracles on Day 1 and 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft that safely brought Walter Nolen III, Will Johnson and Jordan Burch into the loving arms of the Red Sea!

1. The 49ers at pick #11, who need interior defensive line help after a miserable season defending the run and subsequently releasing Javon Hargrave, choose edge rusher Mykel Williams over Walter Nolen III.
2. The Falcons at pick #15, one pick ahead of the Cardinals, choose hybrid ILB/edge rusher Jalon Walker over Walter Nolen III.
3. At pick #16, Monti Ossenfort, spurred by Jonathan Gannon’s urging, selects Walter Nolen III over the Cardinals’ fans’ favorite Will Johnson, with Michael Bidwill’s blessing!
4. 46 picks go by, and no team has turned in a card for Will Johnson, including Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers.
5. With the 46th pick, the LA Rams, who have been needing to supplement their prolific front 7 picks with equally good CBs, choose to select TE Terrance Ferguson instead of Will Johnson. As Lieutenant Joe Kenda, of “Homicide Hunter” would say, “Oh, my!”
6. When the Cardinals are on the clock at pick #47, the phone is ringing off the hook and Monti is not tempted to accept a trade offer to add more picks —- he sticks and goes “Good Will Hunting” by selecting Will Johnson.
7. At pick #77, one pick ahead of the Cardinals’ #78 pick in the 3rd round, the Panthers, very likely knowing how much work the Cardinals had put in to scouting Princely Umanmielen, make a trade with the Patriots to snag Walter Nolen’s pass rushing teammate.
8. Seemingly unphased, Monti Ossenfort hauls in a big, quick Oregon Duck pass rusher with a 22.5% win rate when rushing from 7 and 9 techniques in 6-4, 28- pound Jordan Burch, who posted 8.5 sacks in 10 games while helping Oregon win the Big Ten Championship.

Cardinals Day 2 Draft Pick Profiles:

13. CB Will Johnson, Michigan

Player comp: Darius Slay

Strengths

Change-of-direction ability is that of a much smaller corner

Versatile to play on left or right side. Can shadow WR1s

Very good understanding of leverages

Smooth when passing off receivers and picking them up in zone

Can play confidently in the slot if needed

Fluid transitions from backpedal to shuffle to full stride

Understands contain in run fits

Weaknesses

Some inconsistent/ineffective timing with punches in press

Top speed is good, but doesn’t appear to be in the top tier with recovery

Sloppy with tackling attempts in 2024

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Notice the Darius Slay player comp for Will Johnson. Slay made his 4th and 5th Pro Bowls in the two years that JG was his DC.

Cardinals select PFF’s 13th ranked player at pick #47.

73. ED Jordan Burch, Oregon

Player comp: Matthew Judon

Strengths

Great measurables for the edge position

Scheme versatile defender who can play anything from a 3-technique to a 7-technique

Frame is well filled out for all that height and weight

Very nice first-step explosiveness for his size

Extremely low missed tackle percentage

Eyes and anticipation for the ball were much improved in 2024

Weaknesses

Needs more of a pass-rush plan before the ball is snapped

Hands lack purpose

Lacks the bend to truly threaten the outside shoulder with speed, even with a good first step

Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

tackles, 45 QB pressures and 6 sacks in his 2nd season this year. Burch’s pass rush win rate in 2024 was 15.1%. He rarely misses a tackle, but needs to stack, shed and find the ball more quickly. Legit R2 player taken in R3 at pick #78.

The Matthew Judon player comp for Jordan Burch is exciting because Burch very much fits the Ravens’ edge rusher prototype.

Cardinals’ select PFF’s 73rd ranked player at pick #78.

Commentary:

It was surreal moment last night to see Patrick Peterson announce the Will Johnson pick —- which is kind of a miracle of its own. I mean, who would have ever thought a year ago that Patrick Peterson would be so much back in the good graces of the Cardinals to where they wanted him to announce their Day 2 picks? And it just so happens that Pat P’s first call is Will Johnson at pick #47?

You have to know there’s suddenly such a positive buzz around the Cardinals when Calais Campbell is excited to return and former Pro Bowlers like Darnell Dockett and Patrick Peterson are taking such a renewed interest in the team.

Kudos to Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon for bringing the buzz back to the Cardinals. They have done so by fostering meaningful connections and relationships with the players and the prospects they bring in for Top 30 visits. All three of the new Cardinals have had nothing but positive and praiseworthy things to say about the pre-draft interest they received from Monti and JG.

JG describes the Cardinals’ players as a “close-knit group.”

Did you see Kyler welcome the Nolen family at the team facility yesterday?

And later on, that evening, Walter Nolen, when he was informed that Will Johnson was upset about his slide in the draft, Walter asked JG for Will’s number.

When all was said and done, Will Johnson, at the conclusion of his post-draft interview, avowed: “it is a blessing that I landed with the Cardinals.”

It does feel like a blessing...

And a miracle.