2025 Outlook
Availability
Johnson is a fluid mover. He glides across the field with good bend around the edge. Some have questioned Johnson's speed, but I have no worries about his raw speed. Johnson hits the gas as soon as he sees a sliver of daylight and can hit dingers. Johnson has a great feel for pressing and flowing through a run in sync with his offensive line. He can stop on a dime in the second level, pivoting and then hitting the gas again as he blows past a defender. He can make people miss in a phone booth. Johnson can stiff-arm a defender into the ground, but he isn't a dominating physical runner. He excels with vision, footwork, bend, and speed. He isn't a pile-pushing physical presence as a rusher, but he does keep his legs moving through contact. Johnson is still a work in progress in pass pro, but he has all the tools to become a serviceable option in this realm. His hands are strong like magnets. Once he gets his mitts on a rusher, he isn't letting go of them. He needs to improve his pass-blocking technique by utilizing his lower half and setting up lower, but the raw intangibles are there. Johnson was utilized as a receiving option in a limited capacity. He was a trustworthy option, though, with only two drops in his collegiate career. He was mostly used as a check-down option running flat or swing routes from the backfield. He did get the occasional angle route or outside alignment with a slant route. His loose hips and short-area agility give hope that he offers more in the NFL as a receiver than he showed in college.
Kaleb Johnson was a committee back his first two years at Iowa, then broke out with 240-1,537-21 rushing last fall. He's a powerful downhill runner who's hard to bring down if you hit him high. It's easy to envision him being an effective goal-line back in the NFL. A good fit for a zone scheme, Johnson is a patient runner who reads his blocks well. Johnson doesn't have great long speed, doesn't change speeds often or make sharp cuts. But if Johnson lands in a favorable spot, he could make a big impact right away.
