Alright, let me dive into this—so, yeah, the Steelers picked up Kaleb Johnson in the third round. Crazy, right? Drafted him with the 83rd pick, announced by none other than Lynn Swann. You know, the legend himself. Johnson, this Iowa running back, had a monster year despite Iowa’s offense being… well, let’s just say it was pretty lackluster.
Oh, and fun fact—this tweet I saw mentions it too! Something like, “Steelers grab Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson. #NFL” or whatever. I remember it was April 26, 2025—kind of a big date, I guess.
Johnson is like 6 feet plus a smidge, and weighs in at 224 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds during the Combine. Not Olympic sprint speed, but who cares? He’s got this burst and balance that’s something to talk about—almost like a dance, but with more bruises.
He really showed up in 2024. I mean, 240 carries for over 1,500 yards! And 21 touchdowns! Some receivers don’t even get that many chances. Right, he also caught passes—22 of those—extra value or something.
The Steelers recently had him over for one of those pre-draft visits. Not a big shocker they drafted him, I guess. They like to pick from those who come to visit. Makes sense, right?
And get this—this draft class was loaded with running backs. People say Kaleb is in the top five. Steelers had eyes on quicker, smaller backs too, but Johnson fits their usual style. They like the bigger guys—maybe a strategic thing?
What our scouts say: He’s got power, he’s patient, can block—though, his long speed isn’t all that and he’s only had one dazzling season. We sort of compared him to Melvin Gordon III. Not really a perfect match, but you get the vibe.
Anyway, he’d team up well with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Imagine the options!
There’s a full scouting report on him below if you’re into deep dives.
