Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson Projected to Have Breakout Rookie Season
NFL.com analyst Buck Brooks thinks Pittsburgh Steelers third-round pick Kaleb Johnson will have an instant impact with the team. It wouldn’t surprise Brooks if the rookie out of Iowa posts over 1,000 yards rushing this season.
“The seamless transition from Iowa’s zone-based system to Pittsburgh’s downhill rushing attack could help Johnson hit the ground running in the pros,” Brooks wrote. “As a big back (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) with straight-line speed and a smooth running style, he patiently surveys the defense from behind the line until he spots a crack at the point of attack. With the Steelers’ fielding a massive offensive line specializing in bulldozing defenders off the ball, Johnson could immediately post a 1,000-yard season as the team’s new RB1.”
The current projection for Johnson at Rotowire is 159 Carries for 676 Yards (4.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns, along with 24 Receptions for 171 Yards and one touchdown.
Jaylen Warren is expected to be the lead back, so unless there’s an injury, it will be surprising if Johnson reaches the 1,000-yard mark in Year 1. He still could have a big impact on offense, however.
Johnson has already received comparisons to former All-Pro Le’Veon Bell. But former running back Chase Edmonds believes he has a better comp for the rookie.
“I love Kaleb Johnson’s game. You talk about a guy that has just a natural feel for the zone scheme and he’s able to stretch the field horizontally,” Edmonds said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “Then he puts his foot in the ground, he gets North and South, he’s able to find these lanes in his own scheme. The guy that I see most in Kaleb Johnson, actually kind of runs just like him, is Arian Foster, who had a stellar, stellar career with the Houston Texans.”
If Johnson turns out to be anything like Foster, the Steelers will be counting themselves lucky he was still on the board in the third round (No. 83) of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Foster is a former All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, NFL rushing yards leader and two-time NFL rushing touchdowns leader. During his eight seasons in the NFL, he rushed for 6,527 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and 54 touchdowns.
“It’s just a really good fit,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said of Johnson. “Guys will roll, and there’s a lot of good group of guys we have in that running back room. We’re obviously excited. No matter if you are running the football or the pass game, we need to get more explosive, and this is an explosive runner, and that’s where he will certainly help.”
Derrick Bell of Steelers Now point out that Johnson is the ideal model that Pittsburgh looks for in a running back.
“For starters, Johnson has the size (6-foot-1, 221 pounds) that this franchise typically covets for the position. He’s a long-striding glider with excellent vision and a perfect balance of patience and decisiveness,” Bell wrote in his scouting report on Johnson. “Rarely do you see him miss an open crease through the defensive line, but what makes him so special on outside zone concepts is how he sets up his blocks with an innate ability to steer second-level defenders out of position. He finds cutback lanes that most backs cannot. Next, Johnson has very good contact balance to absorb blows, maintain his footing, and continue his momentum upfield. His 4.42 yards after contact per rush ranked second in the class among backs with 200 carries, behind only Ashton Jeanty.”