San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson became a first-round NFL Draft pick Thursday night, going 27th overall to the Miami Dolphins.
Why it matters
Johnson is the first Aztecs defensive player selected in the first round since 1972, when All-American Willie Buchanon — an SDSU Hall of Famer and legendary high school player out of Oceanside High — went seventh overall to the Green Bay Packers.
Miami moved up to secure Johnson, sending picks No. 30 and 90 to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for No. 27 and 138. The Dolphins had earlier selected Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick.
“It definitely surprised me,” Johnson said after watching the opening round with his family at his home in Eastvale. “I answered my phone and my service was a little spotty so I had to move around my house. Once I was able to talk with everyone it was just a great feeling. Pre-draft meetings went great with them; I’m just excited to get out there and play some ball.”
“When you watch Chris, he has great feet, great balance and body control,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said after the opening round. “He is physical, he is a big corner, he can play nickel and outside, he has ball skills. When you start checking the boxes for a defensive back there aren’t too many things he can’t do. He handles his business, works, wants to be a good player.”
‘Nonstop relentless’
Johnson is expected to help stabilize a Miami secondary reshaped by turnover after the Dolphins cycled through multiple additions last season. Safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu, along with cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Jack Jones, were all gone by draft week.
“My edge is being nonstop relentless,” Johnson said. “That just goes with the culture at San Diego State the last four years. That’s what we preached — we weren’t always the most talented defense, but effort is going to outlast skill every time.”
Johnson is just the third defensive player in San Diego State history to be selected in the first round and the program’s 10th first-round pick overall, the first since running back Rashaad Penny went 27th to Seattle in 2018.
A four-year contributor at SDSU, Johnson is coming off a standout 2025 season in which he totaled 49 tackles, four interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — and nine pass breakups while earning multiple All-American honors and sharing Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year recognition. He finished his career with 152 tackles, six interceptions and 14 pass breakups across 47 games, starting each of his final 23 appearances.
“After my junior year, a couple teams called to hit the portal and go there,” Johnson said. “But at the end of the day my dream was to get to where I am right now. I didn’t want to go somewhere and put uncertainties in the air.
“I could get a bag of money, but who am I going to be competing against and playing with? What scheme are they going to be running? I know what I am going to do at State. I put my head down and just worked. I have no regrets.”
