As the Day 2 picking trickled into the latter half of the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers found themselves in a spot where the value at the running back position meshed nicely with an item on their shopping list. And if possible, checking off that item by adding one with a comparable style to the one they had lost looked to be an efficient way to use one of only six picks in this lottery.
After the departure of Najee Harris via unrestricted free agency, the Steelers had a hole in their depth chart at running back, and with the 83rd overall pick that happened to be their second in this draft the team settled on Iowa's Kaleb Johnson as a guy who can provide some of what they lost.
What the Steelers lost when Harris left was a big, physical back who always played hard and was ridiculously dependable for the position at the professional level and the manner in which he played it. In his 4 seasons with the Steelers, Harris never missed a regular season start on the way to posting 4 1,000-yard seasons (4,312 yards) on 1,097 attempts that mostly came between the tackles. He played 2,891 offensive snaps and touched the ball 1,277 times.
Johnson did similar things during his three seasons at Iowa, a program that historically prides itself on fundamentals and being physical. When Johnson left Iowa City, he did so as the 17th player in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards; the fifth to rush for 200-plus yards twice. His 12 100-yard games placed him sixth in Iowa history, and his 30 rushing touchdowns placed him fourth. Clearly, availability combined with consistency of performance were highlights of Johnson's resume. And his 6 40-plus-yard runs spoke to his explosiveness.
"I think regardless of your scheme … you would like to get those chunk plays," said offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. "History will tell you that .. regardless of how you look at the game, that opens up and usually produces more touchdowns. That's what we're looking for."
In his first exposure to the media as the Steelers' primary offseason move to address the need at this position, Johnson sounded like he understood what will be expected. "They get a physical running back and one who loves to go score touchdowns," said Johnson. "Just a guy who's ready to work and be determined and ready to give the Steelers his all."
An NFL team's pre-draft visits can provide clues to the areas of the roster that team is intending to use its picks in this draft to reinforce. The Steelers used 8 of their pre-draft visits on defensive tackles, and Oregon's Derrick Harmon already had been added to the fold as their No. 1 pick. They used 9 of their pre-draft visits on running backs, and then spent their next pick, which happened to be in the third round, on Johnson.
The second and third rounds of this draft (picks No. 33 through No. 102) were conducted on Friday, and the overall picking pointed to the running back position as one that contained some nice value.
"Led by Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, a potential superstar at the next level, the running backs set to enter the NFL could go down as an all-time great group," wrote Matt Williamson, a former college and NFL scout for the Cleveland Browns. "There is both star power and immense depth. Teams will have the luxury of selecting running backs who carry a fourth-round grade deep into the final day of the draft, and don't be shocked if undrafted running backs from this unit go on to have quality careers in the league."
Jeanty and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton were picked in the first round, and by the time the Steelers were on the clock to make the 83rd overall pick, only 3 more – Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, and Central Florida's RJ Harvey had come off the board. The Steelers didn't need very much time to make Kaleb Johnson the next one off.
At 6-foot-1, 227 pounds, Johnson looks the part, and then his statistics and the manner in which he compiled them completed the picture.
"Johnson is built like a bruiser, but his style is more finesse, preferring to win with tempo and decisiveness," wrote analyst Lance Zierlein for NFL.com "He keeps his runs on time and on track, while allowing blockers to do their job. He's not overly aggressive, but he has the size and strength to break tackles and grab extra yards at the finish."
The group in Pittsburgh Johnson joins includes veteran Jaylen Warren, and fourth-year pro Kenneth Gainwell, who played in all 17 regular season games last season as a backup to Saquon Barkley for the Super Bowl Champion Eagles. During the 2023-24 seasons, Harris' carries cast him as the No. 1 running back, with Warren as 1a who settled into a role as the third-down back. Warren will report to training camp this summer as the clear No. 1, but there will be opportunities for Johnson to show why he was a second-day draft pick.
"We want to be more explosive," said Smith. "The years I've had it where you have guys who can rip off explosive runs, that may open up more things in the play-action pass or the keeper game or even the action screens. If you don't have that, then you've got to operate a different way."
And by "different" it's unlikely Smith meant "better."
The 2025 NFL Draft concludes on Saturday with the league conducting Rounds 4-5-6-7, and with the Steelers owning one pick in each – the 123rd, 156th 185th, and 229th overall. And there are still things to be done.
They have just 2 quarterbacks under contract and traditionally they take 4 to training camp, which General Manager Omar Khan confirmed again will be the case this summer. Some more depth at offensive tackle might be nice, and maybe another cornerback to add to the mix. After the pick of Johnson, the roster count is 78; plus Saturday's 4 picks makes 82 and then there could be a half-dozen or so undrafted rookies.
The Steelers' job in this draft is not finished, that is true. But so is the fact they added a couple of good, necessary pieces with what they have done in it so far.
