Round 3.83 RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa

[bradshaw2ben]

I don't see the Najee comparison really. Johnson is a much more instinctual and decisive runner. Najee thinks he's Barry Sanders and has some of the worst vision and natural instincts as a runner at the NFL level I've seen. I don't think Steelers fans appreciate how bad Najee really is and was.

I think Johnson is more Arian Foster. Or Joe Mixon with a little less juice but a pinch more ummph.

If this dude ends up doing what prime Mixon did, homerun.

We're watching different players. He seems nothing like Joe Mixon, especially in the passing game. But Mixon is shifty and elusive with the ball in his hands and Johnson is pretty much straightline.

[bradshaw2ben]

The RB room is better with this year with Johnson and Gainwell.

If you're unhappy with this pick in the late 3rd, have a drink or whatever it is you do to relax.

I'm not *unhappy* with it, it's just plain vanilla in a class with every flavor of ice cream available at the position.

And, "in the late 3rd" in an ordinary draft year, absolutely a great value. In this draft class of RBs? It's an ok, unspectacular, high floor pick.

[tbsteel]

The more I watch, the less Najee comparison I see.

Johnson's got quicker feet and can get smaller in the hole. Najee plays like he's wearing ankle weights and runs like a Frankenstein.

[Steelafan77]

Is Johnson a better fit than….

Giddens
Sampson
Tuten
James
Skattebo
Blue
Martinez
Sanders

We will see….

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Arian Foster or Bananas Foster?

[bradshaw2ben]

It's growing on me. I can see it as an upgrade in vision and the top gear. I am concerned a little that the bulk of highlight runs are vs the likes of Nevada, Northwestern, Washington, & Illinois State. Will he look that fast in the NFL? Doubt it. But he'll be a good run the wheels off guy and good in short yardage. Definitely needs blocking though.

[franco32]

I think it's completely legitimate to question his receiving and blocking. But, to be fair, he never had much of a chance to showcase that in the pre-historic Iowa offense.

No player in the country had to run against stacked boxes more than Johnson. His feel for the hole and reading his blockers is elite. I also saw some good cuts and shiftiness. He also has long speed.

He's not Gibbs. We all want gamebreakers. We all want mismatches, but there is a real place in the NFL for a back like Johnson who is a lot more than a "fat back".

[bradshaw2ben]

I think it's completely legitimate to question his receiving and blocking. But, to be fair, he never had much of a chance to showcase that in the pre-historic Iowa offense.

No player in the country had to run against stacked boxes more than Johnson. His feel for the hole and reading his blockers is elite. I also saw some good cuts and shiftiness. He also has long speed.

He's not Gibbs. We all want gamebreakers. We all want mismatches, but there is a real place in the NFL for a back like Johnson who is a lot more than a "fat back".

He can move for a big guy. Not elite size/speed but pretty good. I think we're going to see A LOT of him in this offense and you can see the fit. I think worst-case is, he doesn't get stuck and lose yardage as much as Najee, sees the openings better, has quicker feet in the hole. These will all be upgrades from the garbage we had the last few years. If his top speed works in the NFL and he gets that kind of blocking then he could be top 10-15 in the NFL in production.

[Steelafan77]

Most comparisons I see are Arian Foster.

Till I saw this one below….

Nate Tice: Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds at the combine) plays and runs like if you took a shrink ray to Derrick Henry; a big, long-striding back with good vision and an upright running style who can rip off big runs when given a lane, but whose upright style also leads to them getting tripped up or absorbing big hits a bit too frequently. Just like Henry, Johnson becomes a load as he builds up steam, but his long strides can limit him in tight spaces or if he has to adjust quickly because of backfield penetration. But, when given a clean lane, Johnson does a great job of reading running lanes, planting his foot and getting north

[Mick]

If Johnson can be Najeeish, that would be fine/good. My concern is on paper the closer comp for Johnson is Bennie Snell.

[LakecrestSteeler]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

[Greeksteel]

i dont hate the pick but cant say i love it either. If they wanted a bigger, physical back, i like Damien Martinez more. But Kaleb got the Iowa OC endorsement in Tim Lester.

[bradshaw2ben]

Most comparisons I see are Arian Foster.

Till I saw this one below….

Nate Tice: Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds at the combine) plays and runs like if you took a shrink ray to Derrick Henry; a big, long-striding back with good vision and an upright running style who can rip off big runs when given a lane, but whose upright style also leads to them getting tripped up or absorbing big hits a bit too frequently. Just like Henry, Johnson becomes a load as he builds up steam, but his long strides can limit him in tight spaces or if he has to adjust quickly because of backfield penetration. But, when given a clean lane, Johnson does a great job of reading running lanes, planting his foot and getting north

Dig that description

[bradshaw2ben]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

There's this guy in the class named Cam Ward but carry on

[Mick]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

There's this guy in the class named Cam Ward but carry on

you predicting ward as roty?

[Steelafan77]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

Seeing James Conner comparisons….

Nate Tice: Every Skattebo touch feels like it’s to win the Super Bowl. He has no quit in his game and wins with overwhelming toughness, balance, and strength. While Skattebo lacks long speed and can be a little too keen to run toward contact, he is an agile athlete that can get surprisingly skinny through holes and away from defenders. Skattebo is willing and able to take the hard touches, but he is also a natural pass catcher who is a viable receiving threat and safety valve for quarterbacks.

[bradshaw2ben]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

There's this guy in the class named Cam Ward but carry on

you predicting ward as roty?

1000% percent

[LakecrestSteeler]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

There's this guy in the class named Cam Ward but carry on

I didn’t say which rookie of the year. I bet he puts asses in seats though!

I watched more college games because of him last year.

[LakecrestSteeler]

I am going on record. Should have taken Skattebo.

Skattebo will be rookie of the year.

Skattebo better balance, will do better with a crappy line, is smaller so defenders can’t see him and he is a better receiver with a damn near 40 inch vertical, which should generally translate into some pretty good bursts of speed….game speed?

His highlights go on forever:

https://youtu.be/2GRkPH4koLw

Johnson looks like Tomlin hoping for another Lev Bell. Ain’t gonna happen with his coaching tree!

https://youtu.be/H7oJwVkMN_8

Seeing James Conner comparisons….

Nate Tice: Every Skattebo touch feels like it’s to win the Super Bowl. He has no quit in his game and wins with overwhelming toughness, balance, and strength. While Skattebo lacks long speed and can be a little too keen to run toward contact, he is an agile athlete that can get surprisingly skinny through holes and away from defenders. Skattebo is willing and able to take the hard touches, but he is also a natural pass catcher who is a viable receiving threat and safety valve for quarterbacks.

I also like that he has Hines Ward in his background.

Still don’t understand how Ward isn’t on this coaching staff with all the dullards and the absolute downfall of the WR group after some changeover at coaching. I actually do understand but you get my point.

[955876]

The more I watch, the less Najee comparison I see.

Johnson's got quicker feet and can get smaller in the hole. Najee plays like he's wearing ankle weights and runs like a Frankenstein.

There is a play at but the 2:00 minute mark where he cuts back and makes a long gain.

Najee would have followed the pile.

[tbsteel]

The more I watch, the less Najee comparison I see.

Johnson's got quicker feet and can get smaller in the hole. Najee plays like he's wearing ankle weights and runs like a Frankenstein.

There is a play at but the 2:00 minute mark where he cuts back and makes a long gain.

Najee would have followed the pile.

Johnson has quick feet, is more of a finesse runner and a glider.

Just a completely different style of running than Najee.

[cop1211]

Johnson will get you 1,200 yards per year.

[jebrick]

Kind of stunning that the Steelers drafted a RB that does well in zone runs which happens to be what they want to run.

This Khan/Weidl thing might work out

[Steelafan77]

I also like that he has Hines Ward in his background.

Still don’t understand how Ward isn’t on this coaching staff with all the dullards and the absolute downfall of the WR group after some changeover at coaching. I actually do understand but you get my point.

Was happy to watch this kid be drafted. Local kid and well known in the area.

As to Hines, we know why. Perceived by some as a threat perhaps?

Hines would immediately take the WR room and bring it around to pro status work ethics.

Mentoring players like Pickens would go a long way towards better playing results. Just a guess.

[Rod & Wire Mill]

I don't see the Najee comparison really. Johnson is a much more instinctual and decisive runner. Najee thinks he's Barry Sanders and has some of the worst vision and natural instincts as a runner at the NFL level I've seen. I don't think Steelers fans appreciate how bad Najee really is and was.

I think Johnson is more Arian Foster. Or Joe Mixon with a little less juice but a pinch more ummph.

Closest to my evaluation of Najee ever. Thank you so much!

[steelclan]

Matt Williamson said he was in 225-230 range at pro day.

He is growing on me. Really like how he squares his shoulders at LOS, forcing defenders to make a decision. Also bit surprised how light on his feet he looks.

[bradshaw2ben]

Matt Williamson said he was in 225-230 range at pro day.

He is growing on me. Really like how he squares his shoulders at LOS, forcing defenders to make a decision. Also bit surprised how light on his feet he looks.

At pro day, he was 6005... 234 lb

[steelmann58]

He runs faster than timed and doesn’t fumble

[Deebo]

Most comparisons I see are Arian Foster.

Till I saw this one below….

Nate Tice: Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds at the combine) plays and runs like if you took a shrink ray to Derrick Henry; a big, long-striding back with good vision and an upright running style who can rip off big runs when given a lane, but whose upright style also leads to them getting tripped up or absorbing big hits a bit too frequently. Just like Henry, Johnson becomes a load as he builds up steam, but his long strides can limit him in tight spaces or if he has to adjust quickly because of backfield penetration. But, when given a clean lane, Johnson does a great job of reading running lanes, planting his foot and getting north

Dig that description

Someone here pointed out that Tomlin wants to replicate the Titans offense of 2021: Henry carrying the rock and Tannehill being the nice caretaking QB

I'm starting to believe this

[Greeksteel]

Kaleb is growing on me, still find it utterly shocking that Damien Martinez lasted until the 7th rnd...anyone have any idea why? Late in the draft i would have double dipped and taken him as well.