There seems to be a lot of consternation from some regarding the 40-yard dash time of new Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson.
In a draft in which the running back group as a whole averaged a record 4.47 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, it's easy to get caught up in such things.
Don't, however, let Johnson's 40 time of 4.57 seconds in the 40 in Indianapolis fool you. He was a proven big-play machine in his three seasons at Iowa.
Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson was one of the best running backs in college football in 2024. Of the 59 backs who had at least 165 rushing attempts, Johnson had the highest percentage of plays (56.1 percent) that went for 15-or-more yards.
More importantly, he did that running into what was typically a stacked line of scrimmage. Only three teams saw more eight-man defensive fronts than Johnson and Iowa in 2024.
In his career, 50.4 percent of his career runs came with eight or more defenders in the box. No other player from this year's draft class with at least 250 career carriers was over 39 percent.
"He broke a lot of long runs in the Big Ten," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said.
Johnson also averaged 4.42 yards per play after contact last season. After contact. The Steelers as a team last season averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
Even more impressive is the fact Johnson averaged 1.95 yards per carry when he was first contacted behind the line of scrimmage, showing he was capable of making something out of nothing. On his runs where he wasn't contacted behind the line of scrimmage, he averaged 10.2 yards per carry.
That's not a misprint. If opponents didn't get to Johnson behind the line of scrimmage, he averaged a first down-making run.
"I look at him as an explosive weapon," said Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Iowa's opponents certainly did, despite Johnson's 4.57-second 40. There's a difference between track speed and game speed.
But some are saying he's Najee Harris 2.0, like that's necessarily a bad thing. Harris, after all, rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons with the Steelers before leaving in free agency.
If Johnson posts four-straight 1,000-yard seasons, nobody is going to complain about the pick.
But Johnson is more than a grinder, as shown by his collegiate stats.
At Iowa, everyone knew he was getting the football, right down to the guys selling popcorn. And he still flourished.
The 225-pound running back did that by not only running through tackle attempts, but being decisive as a runner. He excels at the outside zone running scheme Smith prefers because he sees the hole and immediately hits it.
As for his 40 time? Many college teams utilize GPS monitoring on their players. Johnson reached speeds of 21 mph in each of his three seasons, including getting to 22 mph on at least one run in 2024.
There are only a handful of players in the NFL who have reached that speed in a game, new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf among them.
"We didn't question his speed whatsoever watching the video," Tomlin said. "His speed was not in question on video."
• The selection of two defensive linemen – first-round pick Derrick Harmon and fifth-round selection Yahya Black – as well as outside linebacker Jack Sawyer in the fourth round shows that the Steelers are not only serious about rebuilding their trenches on both sides of the ball, but their depth, as well.
All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt played nearly 86 percent of the team's defensive snaps in 2024. All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward was at 71.25 percent, down from the over 80 percent he had typically played in previous seasons.
Alex Highsmith, the team's other starting outside linebacker, would have easily been over 80 percent as usual if he hadn't missed some time because of injury.
The idea of adding more quality and youth at outside linebacker and on the defensive line is simple. If those young players can deservedly eat up additional snaps, it means less wear and tear on the stars.
"It's always good to get younger," said Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. "You know, guys late in the season, you can't bounce back because of the beating your taking, and now we've gotten two guys this weekend that's going to really help that case."
The Steelers saw in 2024 that a little less Heyward equaled better production. As mentioned, he typically played 80 percent or more of the defensive snaps in previous years. But the soon-to-be 36-year-old had a monster season in 2024, posting 71 tackles, 8.0 sacks and a career-best 11 pass defenses despite playing less.
The problem was that when Heyward was out there, the Steelers allowed 3.6 yards per rushing attempt. When he was not, that number ballooned to 5.1 yards per attempt.
That split is too significant.
And the Steelers want Heyward and Watt, who turns 31 in October, to be out there on weighty downs.
"I think if you want to be good up front, you have got to have a good rotation," Dunbar said. "When Cam Heyward is playing 55-60 plays a game, in the fourth quarter, you don't have what you want. If we can get those plays 30-35, snaps a game, and you got a good rotation going, everybody will be fresh, and then your best players could play their best at the end of the game."
• You have to give credit to Steelers' GM Omar Khan for trusting the process.
When the Steelers selected Harmon, three other defensive tackles had been selected in front of them, with the third, Walter Nolen, going to the Cardinals with the 16th pick.
The Steelers were patient, waiting until the 21st pick to take Harmon, the player they coveted.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
Meanwhile, when running back R.J. Harvey of South Florida went to the Broncos with the 60th pick in the draft, the Steelers had a long wait to see if Johnson would last until their next pick at 83.
Khan let things play out once again and got the player the Steelers wanted.
Certainly, this was a deep draft at both defensive tackle and running back, but Harmon and Johnson were ideal fits for the Steelers.
"We feel there's some calls just like we do every round, but it just felt like it was coming to us the right way," Khan said.
Khan must be a great poker player.
• Kudos to the NFL for coming down hard on the Falcons for the draft-day stunt pulled by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's 21-year-old son.
The son of Ulbrich copied the phone numbers of some draft prospects off a computer his father had at the house and prank-called Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the draft, telling him they had been selected – when, in fact, he had not.
With a little bit of digging, the NFL figured out who the guilty party was and fined the Falcons $250,000 and Ulbrich $100,000.
It's a hefty fine, and hopefully it deters someone in the future from doing something that juvenile.
Sanders wasn't the only person who received a prank call. At least two other draft picks did, as well. It also happened to Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean last year.
It's not funny. It's not clever. And it shouldn't happen.
• The NFL Draft in Green Bay last weekend drew over 200,000 people per day just outside of Lambeau Field, bringing in over 600,000 for the three-day event.
Here's the thing, Green Bay isn't as easily accessible as Pittsburgh.
Buckle up Pittsburgh. Next year's draft in Pittsburgh could be a record-setter, currently held by Detroit in 2024 of 775,000 people.
