Dolphins Acquire No. 27 From 49ers, Draft CB Chris Johnson

After trading back with their first pick tonight, the Dolphins are moving up three spots from their second first-round window. Miami will send Nos. 30 and 90 to San Francisco, and the Dolphins are selecting San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson at No. 27 overall. The 49ers will acquire the pick the Broncos sent to the Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle.

After LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, several cornerback prospects were thought to be potential first-round candidates, but none were guarantees. Lo and behold, McCoy has slipped past Day 1, and Johnson takes the honor of CB2 and one of only two corners, with Delane, who will receive a fifth-year option.

It’s not hard to see why Miami opted to select Johnson here. Johnson started to pop on film as a sophomore for the Aztecs. Rotating in off the bench, he made the most of his opportunities, recording his first interception, deflecting a pass, and forcing a fumble all in limited time. As a full-time starter his junior year, Johnson’s production increased with another interception, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. He exploded in Year 4 at San Diego State, lighting up the stat sheet with four interceptions, nine passes defensed, a sack, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Part of what makes Johnson such a valuable defender isn’t just that he has a nose for the football and is constantly around the play, but he also makes the most of his opportunities when he does get his hands on the ball. While the college downing rules mean many interceptions result in zero return yards as defensive backs tumble to the ground to make a play, Johnson showed a different initiative. Over the course of his collegiate career, he averaged 38.7 yards per interception return, and in his senior year, his four picks were returned for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

There are concerns about Johnson’s physicality and strength against larger ballcarriers with his thin frame, and his level of competition was never the best in college, but Johnson dominated the tier of football that he was at. The Dolphins clearly believe he shows the ability to continue dominating at the NFL level.

Miami saw cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Jack Jones depart in free agency, and veteran Rasul Douglas‘ contract expired this offseason, as well. Making his way across the country, Johnson should immediately have a pathway to a starting role across from Darrell Baker in a young, inexperienced secondary. He may encounter some challenge for the role, but with the Dolphins trading up to land him, it may just be his job to lose.