This offseason, the Miami Dolphins added 13 players in the 2026 NFL Draft. Miami had significant draft capital after trading Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips in exchange for more draft picks.
The team used those picks to fix a variety of holes on its roster. Miami received the No. 30 pick from the Denver Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle trade, a pick they later used to trade up three spots and select San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.
Johnson has begun his NFL career, and he already faced criticism following his first day of rookie minicamp.
Miami Dolphins Rookie Struggles With Drops
During an episode of The Dolphins Collective, Miami Herald writer Omar Kelly was asked his thoughts on the Dolphins rookies during minicamp. Kelly singled out Johnson, saying, “Chris Johnson’s hands — little too many drops. I know it was rookie camp day one, but I’m like ‘come on brother’”
Kelly added, “I don’t need an interception machine, but I would like when the ball is in your hands for you to catch it.”
Johnson had the best season of his career in terms of interceptions in 2025 as he totaled five picks with San Diego State. As a rookie, he will be joining an inexperienced cornerback room that lost their top two starters from last season in free agency.
Despite the early drops, the expectation is that Johnson will become a foundational piece for the Dolphins moving forward. Regarding those expectations, Johnson said, “It’s not really pressure for me. I love expectations. I love high expectations. I hold myself to those.”
Miami Herald’s Isaiah Smalls spoke about the expectations around Johnson, as he wrote:
“The expectations piece is in part linked to the history of coach Jeff Hafley. Before his days with the Green Bay Packers, before Boston College and before Ohio State, Hafley got his start as a defensive backs coach. That Johnson was Hafley’s first selection in the secondary means he will not only be asked to contribute early but will surely have his coach’s attention from the onset.”
Chris Johnson Player Profile
As Smalls mentioned, Johnson will likely be asked to be an immediate impact starter for the Dolphins. With the team lacking cornerbacks with strong starting experience, the rookie may cement himself as the top option in that room.
Johnson was ranked as the No. 26 prospect and second-best cornerback by The Ringer’s Todd McShay. Regarding Johnson, McShay wrote:
“Johnson is a two-year starter who had his best season in 2025. After an uneven week of practice at the Senior Bowl, he eased concerns about his top-end speed by tying for the third-fastest 40 time among corners at the combine. He’s a fundamentally sound press corner who uses the proper hand to disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage, stays balanced when flipping his hips, and doesn’t panic with his back turned to the quarterback.
Johnson reads receivers’ breaks, tracks the ball well, and takes sound angles, and he doesn’t get pushed around at the top of his routes in off coverage. He’s quick to trigger, and he drives through the receiver when breaking on passes. He has big hands and possesses the timing and ability to stay in a receiver’s back pocket. Even though his arm length is below average, he’s good at breaking up passes. He had four interceptions last season and returned two of them for touchdowns.”
For the Dolphins’ sake, they will hope Johnson’s minicamp drops quickly become a non-story.
Dolphins Rookie Called Out for Early Camp Performance: ‘Too Many Drops’