The wildly decorated collegiate career of Chris Johnson reached a historic peak on April 23.
In front of over 300,000 people at Thursday’s NFL Draft, Johnson was selected 27th overall by the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins traded up and brought in Johnson to bolster their mediocre defense.
According to FOX Sports, the Dolphins ranked 22nd in pass defense in 2025. Their struggles were thanks in large part to a lackluster cornerback room, one that Johnson should have an immediate impact on, given their lack of depth.
The Johnson selection marked the first Aztec to be taken in the first round since Rashaad Penny in 2018. But to find a fellow defensive first-rounder, a trip back to 1972 is needed, when Willie Buchanon was taken with the seventh overall pick.
Johnson has some big shoes to fill if he wants to surpass Buchanon, however. The former seventh-overall pick was named the 1972 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1993.
Including Johnson, just 10 Aztecs have been selected in the first round of the NFL draft, an elite club.
Johnson earned a laundry list of accolades over the course of his four years at SDSU, but no season was as successful as 2025.
In a year that saw the Aztecs compete for a Mountain West Conference crown, Johnson stole the show. He registered a season for the ages, racking up 49 tackles, four interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.
The performance was good enough to earn the cornerback 2025 Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, while also garnering an All-Mountain West First Team selection.
Inner division honors showcase elite talent, but Johnson notably earned national recognition with an illustrious Associated Press All-American Second Team nod. The AP team was one of six All-American teams Johnson was named to, three of which were first-team selections. National recognition also came in the form of a semifinalist selection for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best cornerback.
Beyond the awards and performance, Johnson absolutely sold himself at the 2026 NFL Draft Combine. Highlighted by a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, the Aztec legend shot up draft boards, becoming the first Aztec with real first-round hype in seven years.
The 2026 first round saw just one other cornerback be selected alongside Johnson, LSU’s Mansoor Delane at the sixth spot. Johnson joins elite company, but his entire career at SDSU has proved his ability to rise to the occasion, an ability that is difficult to find and even harder to teach.
