When it comes to player fit within a scheme moving from college to the NFL, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one than rookie running back Kaleb Johnson and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Johnson, who led the Big Ten in rushing in 2024, surprisingly fell to the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite that, he landed in the best spot for him, due to the Steelers’ zone-rushing attack under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has spoken highly of Johnson since the Steelers selected him at No. 83 overall.
That fit is also one of the best ones in the NFL, at least according to former NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Matt Bowen.
In a piece for ESPN.com Friday morning, Bowen highlighted Johnson and the Steelers among the 15 best rookie team fits and landing spots in the NFL.
“Johnson is at his best in the outside zone game, a foundational part of coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense. He presses the edges and is good at finding cutback lanes to get north-south with the ball,” Bowen writes. “At 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, he can also push through arm tackles for explosive plays. Johnson had 21 rushes of 20 or more yards in 2024, which was the second most nationally behind Ashton Jeanty.
“He’ll share the backfield with Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh, but he could emerge as the early-down runner. In the pass game, Johnson will see targets on screens and swings.”
It’s not a surprise that Johnson is getting so much love and attention after landing with the Steelers, both locally and nationally. Within Smith’s zone-rushing attack, Johnson should fit seamlessly, considering that’s the same scheme he played in at Iowa.
Playing in a zone scheme at Iowa, Johnson dominated in 2024, rushing for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 carries, leading the Big Ten in rushing by a wide margin, too. He also caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, showing he can do it all.
He’s another big, physical running back. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson measured in at 6010, 224 pounds and ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, solid numbers for his height and weight. He also turns just 22 in August and has only had one year of a heavy workload, so there is some concern there. But outside of that, he fits the mold for the Steelers and feels like a perfect fit, which Smith called him during a session with the media right after the selection.
While Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are in the mix at running back for the Steelers, they seemingly have visions of Johnson being the dependable, workhorse running back moving forward, allowing guys like Warren and Gainwell to remain in the third-down and change-of-pace role.
IF that’s the case in 2025, it could be a big year for Johnson, who steps into the zone-rushing attack under Smith with plenty of familiarity and success within a zone rushing attack, all while working behind what should be an improved offensive line.
