The Green Bay Packers re-filled the practice squad by signing rookie receiver Cornelius Johnson on Wednesday. Johnson is a rookie out of Michigan who was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Packers had an open spot after signing running back Chris Brooks from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Johnson is listed at 6-3 and 212 pounds. He was the 253rd overall pick in this year’s draft.
At Michigan, Johnson caught 138 passes for 2,038 yards and 14 touchdowns across 61 games and 44 starts. A three-year starter, Johnson was part of a Michigan program that made the College Football Playoffs three straight seasons and won the national title in 2023. As a senior, he caught 47 passes for 604 yards and a touchdown as one of J.J. McCarthy’s top targets for the national champs.
Johnson tested like an elite athlete at the wide receiver position during the pre-draft process. His Relative Athletic Score is 9.46, thanks to a 37.5″ vertical leap, 10-7 broad jump, 1.52-second 10-yard split. 4.44-second 40-yard dash and 6.93-second three cone.
Not surprisingly, the Chargers — now coached by former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh — took a chance on Johnson in the seventh round. He was released at final cuts but spent time with the Chargers practice squad this year.
During the preseason, Johnson caught three of nine targets for 34 yards. PFF charged him with one drop.
Johnson is not only big and athletic, but he’s no stranger to perimeter blocking duties in the run game. He was asked to run block on over 1,000 career snaps at Michigan. In his pre-draft profile, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com described Johnson as a “chippy run-blocker” with “the potential to become a weapon as a perimeter blocker” at the next level. Sounds like a Packers receiver.