Pittsburgh needed a powerful running back to pair with Jaylen Warren following the departure of Najee Harris, and they got one in 224-pound Iowa bruiser Kaleb Johnson on Friday night. Johnson and Warren will form a thunder-and-lightning duo in Arthur Smith‘s run-first offense – how does the former Hawkeye project for fantasy? Let’s take a look.
KALEB JOHNSON
- Johnson was a complementary back for his first two seasons with Iowa before exploding onto the scene as a senior in 2024, running for 1,537 yards on 240 carries (6.4 yards per attempt) and 21 TDs despite facing stacked boxes all the time in the Hawkeyes’ one-dimensional offense. At 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, Johnson is a big-bodied back, and while he isn’t the fastest guy in the world (4.57 40-yard dash), he’s a ferocious and powerful runner who can break tackles that way. He also finished third on Iowa last year in receiving yards (despite only totaling 188), and Dane Brugler compared him to DeMarco Murray and noted he saw a three-down skill-set there.
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