Former Iowa Star Kaleb Johnson Gives 2 Head-Turning Comparisons for Himself With Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round selection doesn’t lack confidence, that’s for sure. A wealth of expectations comes with being the guy carrying the rock in Pittsburgh, that even four-straight 1,000-yard seasons isn’t enough to keep the job.

Exit Najee Harris, enter Kaleb Johnson, who sees himself as a mixture of Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook, two of the NFL’s best backs of the past decade.

"I feel like I'm a versatile back," Johnson said in a video published by the Steelers’ website. "I could be a Derrick Henry back or could be a Dalvin Cook back. I feel like that's what separates me from a lot of backs in the league and in this class that I came into. I just feel like, overall, I'm a fast back, and I can be a strong back, also. Catch the ball out of the backfield and be reliable."

The Henry comparisons are a smart one to make. The former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner made his reputation in Arthur Smith’s offense in Tennessee. Smith is now Johnson’s offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh.

Smith has been open about his offense being somewhat handcuffed last season since he couldn’t rely on outside zone runs, a keystone play in his scheme. Johnson’s versatility figures to unlock that aspect of Pittsburgh’s offense, which has been anemic for years.

Johnson said in the video that he and Smith discussed at length how the former Iowa star fits into the scheme. While Johnson will surely split time with Jaylen Warren in the backfield as his opportunities grow, if Johnson’s skillset transitions how he expects, Steelers and Hawkeyes fans will be just as excited to see him excel in the Steel City.

While the comparisons to Henry are lofty, his physical play style and body structure lend to the comparison more than most backs. It’s the Dalvin Cook comparisons he’ll have to prove. In six seasons with Minnesota, Cook caught 221 passes out of the backfield and racked up nearly 1,800 yards. Johnson caught 22 of his 29 career passes for 188 yards in his final season at Iowa.

The Steelers, largely thanks to incompetent quarterback play, haven’t used their backs in the passing game well over the past three seasons. Harris caught 74 passes his rookie season, but only 106 in his final three seasons. Warren was the primary receiving back in those seasons with 174 receptions. Johnson is likely to replace Harris’s workload rather than eat into Warren’s, so he’ll have to make the most of limited opportunities in the passing game.

Nonetheless, it’s not as though Johnson isn’t used to doing more with less. Iowa’s offense was a mess during his three seasons, and he still managed to become a star despite how unbalanced the Iowa offense was. It won’t be easy, but replicating that same effort with results that mirror his own expectations would make him a star in Pittsburgh in no time.