When it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better pairing than Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Leading up to the draft, Johnson was highlighted as a perfect fit for the Steelers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s rushing attack, which leans heavily on zone concepts.
Then, the Steelers were able to land the standout running back in the third round at No. 83 overall, getting him much later than he was projected to go, landing great value at the position overall. Since the conclusion of the draft, Johnson has been praised as the Steelers’ best pick.
Now, ESPN’s Louis Riddick is on that train, too. In a tweet Friday morning, Riddick highlighted Johnson as the one Steelers’ non-first-round draft pick who will be a “significant contributor/starter” for them within 2-3 years.
It’s not a surprise that Johnson is getting so much love and attention after landing with the Steelers. Within Smith’s zone rushing attack, Johnson should fit seamlessly, considering that’s the same scheme he played in at Iowa, one in which he led the Big Ten in rushing in 2024.
Kaleb Johnson was outstanding 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.
In the lead-up to the draft, Johnson was projected as a second-round pick and probable top-50 selection. That he fell to the Steelers at No. 83, especially with them not having a second-round pick, was quite exciting. Now, he steps into a running back room with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, a room that needs a workhorse running back after losing Najee Harris in free agency.
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 last Friday night.
With a need for a running back to step up as the true No. 1 in Pittsburgh, there’s a real opportunity for Johnson to seize the role and run with it. He’s a great fit for the scheme, is the big body the Steelers tend to gravitate toward, and he has good speed and an explosive, home run element to his game, even though he was clocked just a 4.57 in the 40.
That number didn’t concern Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan, and it shouldn’t concern Steelers fans.
Ideally, Johnson grabs hold of the No. 1 role rather quickly as a rookie and takes off, settling in as the bell-cow running back for the Steelers for Years 2 and 3, giving Pittsburgh a dynamic player at the position long-term.
