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The Las Vegas Raiders are considering Chris Johnson, a cornerback from San Diego State, for their second-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Johnson's impressive stats include four interceptions and a top PFF coverage grade, making him a strong candidate to enhance the Raiders' secondary.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Chris Johnson #1 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts as he returns an interception for a touchdown during the second half of a game against the California Golden Bears at Snapdragon Stadium on September 20, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Las Vegas Raidersâ roster could use some depth and extra talent at cornerback heading into the 2026 NFL draft. As a result, the Raiders held a top 30 visit with former San Diego State corner, Chris Johnson, who ranks 39th overall on NFL Mock Draft Databaseâs consensus big board, as of April 14, putting him on the table for the Raidersâ second-round pick.
Ball skills are likely a big reason why Las Vegas is interested in Johnson, as he came down with four interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns in 11 games last season. Additionally, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year was responsible for eight forced incompletions at a 19 percent rate, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked tied for third and tied for fourth, respectively, among the conferenceâs cornerbacks.
All of that helped Johnson finish in the top 20 for FBS corners with a 41.9 completion percentage when targeted and the second-best PFF coverage grade (92.4). Of course, the level of competition plays a big factor, but those numbers are similar to expected first-round pick Mansoor Delaneâs: 40.0 and 90.7.
With that in mind, letâs take a look at what the former Aztec could bring to the Silver and Black.
In the 2025 season, Chris Johnson recorded four interceptions, returned two for touchdowns, and had a completion percentage against of 41.9 when targeted.
The Raiders are looking to strengthen their cornerback depth, and Johnson's ball skills and defensive performance make him an appealing option for their second-round pick.
Johnson ranks 39th overall on the NFL Mock Draft Database's consensus big board and has comparable stats to expected first-round pick Mansoor Delane.
Chris Johnson was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and ranked among the top cornerbacks in the FBS for completion percentage and coverage grade.

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High IQ play from Chris Johnson
-Doesn't fall for the lazy WR release on the PA fake
-Reads QB's eyes, flips his hips and tracks the ball
-Undercuts route for pick 6#NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/kZ0cXnvb5t
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
A defensive back has to have a high football IQ to come up with as many interceptions as Johnson did last season, and weâll get a good example of that on this rep.
Cal runs a play-action pass where the two eligible wide receivers help sell the run fake by, essentially, just dogging it off the line of scrimmage. The offenseâs goal is to beat the secondary over the top by either lulling the defensive backs to sleep or getting them to crash downhill and provide run support. However, Johnson doesnât take the bait.
To be fair, he does get some help from the defenseâs play call. San Diego State is running a three-deep, three-under fire zone, meaning theyâre blitzing a linebacker, and the cornerâs primary job is to keep everything in front of him. But the run fake isnât the only way his intelligence stands out here.
Johnson reads the quarterbackâs eyes and sees the quarterback staring down the seam route. So, he opens his hips to the middle of the field and starts to squeeze the seam to help his teammates in coverage while still being in a position to get to the sideline. As a result, the quarterback goes to his second read and thinks he has the outside receiver wide open on a fade route for an easy touchdown.
However, Johnson still has eyes on the QB and ends up baiting this throw. Once he sees the QBâs throwing motion start, the corner flips his hips, reads the ball in the air and steps in front of the receiver to come up with the pick. On top of that, he finishes by reading a block and taking it all the way back to the house for a near 100-yard pick-six.
In other words, the former Aztec essentially pulled the uno-reverse card on the offense, going from an attempt to set him up for a touchdown to setting himself up to score a touchdown.
Chris Johnson recently had a top 30 visit with the #Raiders, and the 4 INTs he had last season are likely a big reason LV is interested in him
Nice job stepping in front of the comeback to get a pick here #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/d49T6w9Ebz
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
The play calls are a little simpler on this one. Northern Illinois calls a play-action bootleg with a high-low route combination from the two receivers at the top of the screen. Meanwhile, San Diego State runs a pattern- or zone-match defense, which essentially turns into man coverage for the outside cornerback on the wide side of the field since the receiverâs route is over 10 yards.
With the two slot defenders bracketing the slot receiver, Johnson is one-on-one with no safety help. He does a good job of maintaining outside leverage when the receiver stems the route inside, putting him in a position to stay in phase when the wideout breaks toward the sideline. Since the slot receiver is double-covered and the pass-rush is coming, the quarterback still tries to hit the out route, which is a bad idea because Johnson reads the throw and steps in front of the receiver to come up with the interception.
This can be seen from the end zone view; notice how the corner uses some physicality to beat the receiver to the ball. The contact isnât significant enough to draw a pass interference penalty, but it is enough to put himself in a position to come away with the interception. That shows an aggressive mindset and a âmy ballâ mentality for the makings of a true ballhawk.
Chris Johnson 1on1 with no safety help, rips the ball out at the catch point for another INT #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/OnOx5AN6xS
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
Speaking of the aggressive âmy ballâ mentality, this next rep is an even better example.
While the Aztecs are in Cover 3, theyâre clearly worried about the slot receiver on the wide side of the field beating them, bracketing him with the free safety and nickelback. That leaves the boundary corner, Johnson, one-on-one with no help over the top.
With that type of coverage, Johnson has to give the offense something, or heâll end up covering nothing. To be in a position to drive on a short route and make a tackle to set up third down rather than giving up an easy conversion, he doesnât get any deeper than 10 yards until the receiver forces him to turn and run. The downside is that he has to play from a trail position against the go route.
As a result, the receiver gets a step on Johnson. But the latter doesnât panic and stays within armâs length of his man throughout the rep. Also, he doesnât try to locate the ball in the air until heâs back in phase with the receiver, as turning his head would slow him down and make the problem worse. So, with a slightly underthrown pass, the corner is in a great spot to make a play at the catchpoint, ripping the ball away for another pick.
Wouldn't surprise me if the #Raiders are interested in seeing what Chris Johnson can do at nickel, nice rep to get a PBU vs a slot fade here #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/TDyUGvK133
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
Per PFF, Johnson has only recorded 51 career snaps over the slot. However, it wouldnât be surprising if part of the Raidersâ interest in him is that he has traits to contribute as a nickelback, and weâll get a good look at him defending a slot fade route on this rep.
With the Aztecs playing Cover 1, Johnson lines up in press and is man-to-man with a big slot receiver. Post snap, he does a good job of keeping his hips square to the line of scrimmage until the receiver commits outside, and then uses his inside hand to help stay in the receiverâs hip while turning and running. That invites some hand fighting throughout the route, and the receiver gets a subtle push off with the ball in the air.
But the corner manages to keep a hand on the wideoutâs chest to recover, and he makes a great play at catchpoint by playing through the wideoutâs back to punch the ball out for PBU. Considering there arenât many nickel reps to draw from, this is an encouraging rep to see and gives hope that his ball skills can travel.
Love how Chris Johnson is willing to mix it up in the running game, wouldn't surprise me if the #Raiders think he can play some nickel #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/lHBucwZDl2
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
Another reason why the Raidersâ brass might be interested in Johnson as a nickelback is that heâs physical and willing to mix it up in the running game. He has some work to do when it comes to taking on/defeating blocks in the box, but he isnât an outside corner who takes run plays off.
On this rep, Cal comes out in a spread formation before shifting into a condensed set, forcing the boundary cornerback (and all defensive backs, for that matter) into the box. Then, they run split zone where the backside tight end (No. 85) helps the right tackle block the defensive end, and the slicer (No. 85, the tight end working across the formation) kicks out the outside linebacker.
That leaves Johnson unblocked, and instead of hanging back on the second level, he fills the gap and makes the tackle near the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, the result isnât here as the offense converts on the short-yardage situation, but the mentality and willingness to play the run are apparent from the defensive back.
Another nickel-adjacent rep from Chris Johnson, blitzing from the short side of the field to provide run support #NFLDraft2026pic.twitter.com/DvqOYmAEQl
â Matt Holder (@MHolder95) April 14, 2026
This is another example of how the San Diego State productâs game can transfer to nickelback or add at least some position versatility to his repertoire.
While Johnson is on the boundary, heâs on the short side of the field and blitzes off the edge, similar to if he were lined up over the slot and sent on a nickel blitz with narrow hashmarks in the NFL. Meanwhile, out of an offset I-formation from the pistol, the offense calls an RPO with a lead-counter run in the backfield, where the fullback gets the ball and the halfback lead blocks.
That means the halfback is responsible for kicking out the blitzing corner, but the corner wisely pulls up in the backfield, preventing the halfback from being able to cut him or ride his momentum and wash him inside. So, Johnson can work inside the block, and because he broke down, he can work flat down the line of scrimmage to tackle the ball carrier.
Granted, the tackle attempt can be better since the Huskies picked up some extra yards after contact. That will be another area of growth if the Aztec is going to lineup at nickel. But whatâs encouraging is that heâs a pretty secure tackler, recording just eight misses at a 5.4 percent rate during his career, with just three and a 5.6 percent miss rate this past season, according to PFF.
Itâs fair to question if Johnson will be available when the Raiders are back on the clock, since he has received some first-round love in a handful of mock drafts recently. But he is on the fringe of being a Day 1 or 2 pick, and if he doesnât come off the board on Thursday night of the draft, expect the Mountain West DPOY to be on the table at 36.