Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, heading into his 19th season in charge of the Acrisure Stadium franchise, will be looking to young running back Kaleb Johnson to make a big impact in his rookie season, and the good news is, there is every chance that the 21-year-old Iowa Stadium graduate looks like the type of character who is ready to deliver immediately.

Johnson, seen by many as a strong bet for the Rookie of the Year award, is a confident individual and the type of versatile talent who looks born to make an impact in the NFL sooner rather than later.

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Kaleb Johnson was named Big Ten Running Back of the Season in 2024 and comes to Pittsburgh with a great deal of expectation on his young shoulders, but he does, nonetheless, appear to be more than capable of handling the pressure.

When it comes to what he offers Tomlin, Johnson has not been shy in outlining his skillset, confidently making comparisons with esteemed company.

“I feel like I’m a versatile back. I could be a Derrick Henry back, or I could be a Dalvin Cook back,” 

“And I feel like that’s what separates me from a lot of backs in the league and in this class that I came into, because I just feel like, you know, overall. I feel like I’m a fast back, and I could be a strong back, also catch the ball in the backfield, and be reliable.” Johnson added.

Last year, Kaleb Johnson racked up 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1537 yards, completing his three seasons at Iowa on an upward trend, leading to his strong NFL Draft showing and leading Tomlin to believe he is ready to provide his Steelers with a fresh, effective offensive weapon.

Tomlin was full of praise for Johnson following his draft, stating,

“He (Johnson) is a high-volume, capable runner who made a lot of NFL Sunday-like runs. It made the evaluation a fun one.”

During the Pittsburgh Steelers mini-camp, Johnson sufficiently impressed watching Beat Writer Ray Fittipaldo, who commented.

“At rookie minicamp, [Kaleb Johnson] was the first guy who stood out to me,” 

“I saw him going through drills. He was all rocked up. I’m like, ‘Okay, give me the roster. Who’s No. 20?’ It was Kaleb Johnson. He looks every bit the part of an NFL player.”

In Johnson, Tomlin appears to have a youngster who is more than willing to put in the hard yards to get to where he’s undoubtedly going, and that’s to the top of the NFL tree in super quick time. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers start the 2025 season with a trip to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets before hosting the Seattle Seahawks in week Two.