The Pittsburgh Steelers found their replacement for Najee Harris in Kaleb Johnson, who came away impressed after his pre-draft visit. Speaking to reporters after his selection, he felt it was down to the Steelers or the Titans. But he is happy to be here, talking about how he established a relationship with his new position coach.
“It was great. It was great from the jump”, Johnson said of his pre-draft visit with the Steelers. “As soon as I came in, they welcomed me great. First, me and Coach [Eddie] Faulkner, we talked heart-to-heart, so me and him, we know what we need to do now to come out on top. I’m gonna give them my all. And just Mike Tomlin in general, he told me he likes me as a player [and] he wants me to come. I told him, ‘Let’s do it’. It was all in God’s hands, that’s all I can say”.
The Steelers extensively scouted the running back position, bringing in Kaleb Johnson and eight other running backs for pre-draft visits. Of course, they had points of contact with numerous other running backs, but they pretty clearly identified a range—and two types.
While Johnson isn’t a plodder, he isn’t quite the speedster many felt the Steelers were targeting. He has drawn comparisons to quite a few backs already, but even he mentioned Le’Veon Bell. The former Steelers running back was never the quickest, but he had an intuitive running style. Johnson has more burst than he did, and as far as I know, doesn’t think he’s a rapper.
Despite his lackluster 40 time, he did show a good amount of giddy-up-and-go on his college tape. After the Steelers selected Kaleb Johnson, OC Arthur Smith talked about the explosive element he can bring to the offense. Considering they have had among the least explosive running games year upon year, that would be a welcome change. And he is ready for that—excited to begin his career in Pittsburgh.
“My heart dropped—my heart sunk, because I’ve been waiting all day”, Johnson said after he saw the Steelers’ number on his phone. I should clarify, in case there’s any confusion, that he meant that in a purely positive sense. “This has just been a dream for me and my family and stuff like that. But it’s an unreal feeling. I just can’t explain, I’m more than excited right now. I’m blessed”.
Johnson joins a Steelers backfield that includes Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and—for now—Cordarrelle Patterson. It’s unclear what his initial role will be, but the bulk of his assignments are in obvious run situations. Even Smith hinted at hoping to take things like pass protection off his plate, at least initially.
Pittsburgh signed Warren to a second-round restricted tender and vouched for his ability to be a starter. However, the Steelers have also preferred a committee approach in the past three years, and now Kaleb Johnson is on the committee. How soon will he take over the lead rushing role, assuming he ever does?
