This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Najee Harris. While Harris wasn’t the best running back in the league, he was reliable. That goes a long way at the position. Now, they’ve drafted Kaleb Johnson to replace him. Johnson is similar to Harris in some ways, being a big, bruising back. However, Yahoo Sports analyst Nate Tice had a different comparison for Johnson, bringing up Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
“My comparison for him is, ‘Honey, I shrunk Derrick Henry,'” Tice said Friday on the Yahoo Sports’ YouTube channel. “So, he goes to Arthur Smith, I’m like, okay, there it is. Same running style, a little upright.
“Great on zone because he gets north, that’s where the Arian Foster comparison comes from,” Tice added. “Good size, better pass protector now than Derrick Henry has ever been. I am going on record and saying that. Has some hands, too. No wonder Arthur Smith loves him.”
That is quite the comparison. Henry was one of the best running backs in the league last season and has been dominant for years. After a few down years with the Tennessee Titans, it was unclear how effective Henry could continue to be. However, in his first season with the Baltimore Ravens, he proved he still has a lot of gas left in the tank.
Johnson does have a slightly similar profile to Henry. Tice is correct that Johnson is a little smaller, but that doesn’t take away from his physicality. Johnson does not fear contact. He’s also got decent burst, which is an underrated part of Henry’s game.
Other comparisons Johnson has garnered include Le’Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon. Including Henry, those are all great NFL comps. However, it’s important to note that all of this doesn’t mean Johnson will be as good as those players. It just means he has shades of their game.
Although Tice mentions Henry, fans shouldn’t set their expectations that high. It took Henry a few years to get going in the league, after all. Smith did do a lot to unlock him, though. Henry had some of his best seasons with Smith as his offensive coordinator. Perhaps he’ll be able to do similar things with Johnson.
There’s a lot to like about Johnson. It remains to be seen what role he’ll have in the Steelers’ offense during his rookie year. Smith made it clear that he feels like Johnson makes the team more explosive. Hopefully, that’s on display early and often. Pittsburgh would love to have a more explosive offense.
