The Athletic names Cardinals’ Will Johnson on NFL midseason All-Rookie team

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler named Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson to the All-Rookie team midway through the 2025 NFL season.

Brugler said despite Johnson missing two games due to injury, the 6-foot-2 corner has done a good job using his size and ball skills to produce so far this season.

Despite missing a few games, Johnson has been impressive when on the field and leads all rookies with six passes defended. He fell in the draft because of speed and durability questions, but his size, short-area agility and ball skills were strong selling points — and they’ve been keys to his strong start as a pro. Johnson is allowing just 62.5 percent completions when targeted.

Through six games played, Johnson has registered 19 tackles with six passes defensed. Johnson is coming off a strong performance on Monday where the rookie racked up six tackles and a pass defensed in the Cardinals’ 27-17 win against the Dallas Cowboys.

Brugler wasn’t the only NFL writer to rave about Johnson’s performance, as The Ringer’s Diante Lee also named Johnson as one of the top rookies this season.

Denzel Burke one of 3 Cardinals named as honorable mentions

Brugler named Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive end Walter Nolen III and linebacker Jordan Burch as honorable mentions on his all-rookie team.

Burke has played in all eight games so far and has registered 14 tackles with five passes defensed and an interception. He also had a strong performance on Monday, making seven tackles with two passes defensed and an interception in the win. Brugler said that Johnson and Burke have given the Cardinals’ secondary a “nice boost” this season.

Nolen made his NFL debut on Monday Night Football after missing the Cardinals’ first seven games with a calf injury, and he was another defensive standout with four tackles (two for a loss), a pass defensed and a sack.

Cardinals rookie Walter Nolen III “responded really well” to the words of veteran Calais Campbell during his impactful NFL debut on Monday Night Football. pic.twitter.com/hAGhgBdRnq

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) November 5, 2025

Burch has also played in all eight games, racking up 11 tackles.

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