PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers thought they landed a steal in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and early indications appear they might be right.
There might not be a more detail-oriented player in this rookie class than Kaleb Johnson. Johnson asks meticulous questions, and that is something he says he has always prided himself on throughout his career.
It helps that Johnson just looks like an NFL workhorse back. He has that frame. Yet, after running a 4.57 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, some have questioned his speed, but Johnson shared a factoid about his GPS-timed speed, which shows him in the top echleon of running backs.
“My catching ability, my route running, really my speed,” Johnson said. “Last time I checked, I hit 22 miles per hour.”
Johnson has been dialed into his pass protection more than anything. To get onto the field, Johnson has to become a polsiehd pass protector, and Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell at the type of players to learn that from.
“Pass blocking that’s my main thing. That’s what I want to work on. I’m going to work on it every day. After practice, just going over there with the bag right there and hitting it with Coach [Eddie] Faulkner. Just learning, and learning from [Jaylen] Warren, too, because he’s one of the best dudes in the league right now. I told him let’s do it. Let’s work after every practice and do it. He’s with it, and I’m down to go,” Johnson said.
From people I talk to in the organization, reviews for Johnson’s work ethic are already incredibly high, so it is no surprise to see him soaking this stuff up like a sponge. His stock should see him play early in this season, it just depends on his development for how much.