Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shares what makes third-round rookie running back Kaleb Johnson so unique.
The Pittsburgh Steelers landed running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round (No. 83 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft and they are still shocked he was available due to his unique set of qualities.
“Kaleb has an awesome skillset. He has the unique blend of experience and youth that’s very attractive to us,” head coach Mike Tomlin said on the latest episode of “The Standard.” “Some of the most significant players we’ve had here during my time kind of fit that build. Le’Veon Bell, for example, was a third-year junior when he came out of Michigan State. Rashard Mendenhall was a third-year junior when he came out of Illinois. So those are just a couple examples of guys that were both young and experienced. I’m equally excited about K.J. for those very same reasons.”
Johnson is still only 21 and is coming off a breakout season. In 2024, he rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry at Iowa. He also recorded 22 catches for 188 yards and two more scores.
As a bigger back, standing at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, Johnson has had his speed questioned at times. That was especially the case after he ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
However, Johnson has proven to be more than capable of breaking off big runs. Last season, he reached 22 miles per hour per GPS measurements on field, which has only been done by a handful of NFL players, including new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The only question now is if Johnson can translate his play to the next level. But general manager Omar Khan, among many others in Pittsburgh, believe that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
“We were sitting there in Round 3,” Khan said. “We didn’t know which running backs were gonna be available and we felt very fortunate that Kaleb was there.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Reveals Two Qualities That Make Steelers Rookie RB Kaleb Johnson ‘Unique’
