
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin praising former Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson early in career
The next former Iowa Hawkeyes talent who could be in a starting role in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is former running back Kaleb Johnson.
The former All-American at Iowa and Big Ten Running Back of the Year rewrote part of Iowa's history books with his tremendous 2024 season in Iowa City and is continuing to don the black and gold with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Drafted No. 83 overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, Johnson joins a situation that could see him earn a lot of playing time and carries early in his career. His collegiate tape and early impressions are being felt in Pittsburgh, as Steelers long-time head coach Mike Tomlin is praising Kaleb Johnson early on in his career.
"This is a high-volume, capable runner who was the center of his offense, a lot of NFL, Sunday-like runs, if you will. Meaning he did it from the home position or the pistol position into a lot of loaded boxes. It wasn't a lot of guesswork or Saturday-like holes on his tape, and that made the evaluation a fun one and the projection an easy one," Tomlin said about Johnson coming out of college.
Kaleb Johnson brings size to the Steelers' running back room as he stands 6-foot-1 and has a 225-pound frame. Tomlin was asked about that factoring into their decision to draft him, but continued to praise his play above all else.
"Less concerned about the measurables and really more concerned about the play style and the resume, and certainly he is a guy that's capable of high-volume carries," Tomlin continued.
In a recent turn of events, Kaleb Johnson will now have the opportunity to play alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is joining the Steelers. Kaleb Johnson and Aaron Rodgers are acquainted as well, as the two spent time working out together earlier this offseason. His presence in the backfield and command of the offense could make life easier for Johnson in the run game as well as up his usage in the passing game.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

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