Kaleb Johnson NFL Draft Profile: College Stats, 40 Time, Combine Results, Top Comps

Subscribe to our newsletter

We saw Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo, and Quinshon Judkins dominate in the College Football Playoff.

Some top running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft didn't get that sort of showcase because their passing offense and/or defense weren't good enough. That was Kaleb Johnson on the perenially impotent Iowa Hawkeyes.

For a team that notoriously pounds the rock and plays defense, Iowa hasn't really put many running backs into the NFL. After all, it's not like the local pool of talent is extremely deep. However, after an insanely productive 2024 in the new expanded Big Ten, Johnson might be able to buck that trend and go in the first three rounds of April's draft.

What are Kaleb Johnson's strengths and weaknesses, and what type of back will he be in the NFL?

Note: All stats and rankings come via Pro Football Focus (PFF) and PlayerProfiler.com.

Kaleb Johnson NFL Draft Key Information

College: Iowa

Age: 21.6

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 224

40-Yard Dash: 4.57

Vertical Leap: N/A

Bench Press: N/A

Broad Jump: N/A

3-Cone: N/A

Shuttle: N/A

Size-Adjusted Speed: 102.7 (73rd percentile)

Games Played: 35

2024 Rush Attempts: 240

2024 Rushing Yards: 1,535

2024 Rushing Touchdowns: 22

2024 Receptions: 25

2024 Targets: 25

2024 Receiving Yards: 190

2024 Receiving Touchdowns: 2

Kaleb Johnson Top Comparables

Kaleb Johnson Scouting Report

Strengths

Ideal size and strength to handle a heavy workload
Pummels undersized tacklers and can extend plays after contact
Ability to dance through the hole with quickness and agile footwork is eerily Derrick Henry-esque
Extremely decisive and rarely gets caught in the backfield
Fewer than 300 carries in his first two seasons leaves a lot of tread on the tires
Consistently moves feet in correct direction when waiting for blocks to develop or choosing a lane

Weaknesses

Top-end speed is poor. Frequently chased down on proverbial home runs
Very upright runner that seems incredibly stiff when situations call for flexibility or bending
Doesn't really welcome contact for his size
Pass-catching experience is extremely limited even if opportunities were serviceable

In the right situation, Kaleb Johnson could be an unbelievably productive NFL running back.

Johnson's rise from a committee member in 2023 with the Hawkeyes to FBS' seventh-leading rusher caught the entire college football landscape by surprise. He's now third on Iowa's all-time single-season rushing list after 1,537 yards a year ago.

My visual introduction to Johnson was at a restaurant as he housed a 69-yard receiving score against Nebraska on Black Friday where he broke at minimum six tackles. That was an interesting first taste considering it accounted for 36.3% of his receiving yardage for the whole season.

The tape study was just as sound. For a large running back, Johnson has extremely nimble feet with a decisive running style. He's said he models his game after Derrick Henry, and though he's not quite as large, the traits you see from that are his ability to scoot through an opening, his decisiveness, and how light he runs on his feet.

However, Johnson doesn't embrace contact like King Henry does. He's much more of a finesse back that prefers to win with vision. I'm a bit worried about that given a 4.57 40-yard dash, which was a disappointment even if the 225-pounder was never going to flirt with the top of the leaderboard.

Johnson's receiving stats might undersell what I see as true comfort catching screens and flats out of the backfield. He's not going to have Le'Veon Bell or Joe Mixon's route tree, but if your third-down back is inactive for a week, he's more than capable.

I also don't think there's an extremely explosive element to Johnson's game. He's not jump-cutting through the back side or making defenders miss in one-on-one situations.

Overall, my top comparison is Arian Foster -- even though he trades a bit of size for speed from the former Houston Texans tailback. Foster's vision, decisiveness, and intelligence were his strongest traits despite poor top-end speed, and he never actively wanted to lay a shoulder into a defender. Why would you?

In a generational running back class, all of these options are working against each other's draft slot. However, if Johnson went to a desperate team like the Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders, he'd be totally fine to assume 250-plus carries in his rookie season as an early-down and goal-line running back.

That's pretty insane for a potential third or fourth-round pick, which I think a poor combine has confirmed he'll be.

Which futures stand out to you for the 2025 NFL season? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest NFL betting odds to see the full menu of options.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Want more stories like this?