From the University of Iowa, Kaleb Johnson has been generating buzz as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 Dynasty Rookie Drafts. The 21-year-old is a younger prospect, and he’s coming off of a year where he put up impressive numbers during his junior season. Johnson is a player I think could see a spike in his Dynasty Fantasy Football value once he comes into the NFL. Depending on where he ends up, he could quickly become an NFL starter right away or, at some point during the season, become a top Dynasty running back. Allow me to make my case for him.
College Production (2022 – 2024)
Let’s take a look at Johnson’s production from his time with the Hawkeyes. He played three collegiate seasons there and, over that time, put up 2,779 rushing yards with 240 receiving yards. Most of this production came in his final year, and since then, he’s been quickly rising on NFL Draft boards.
His most productive and breakout season came in 2024, when Johnson played in twelve games for the Hawkeyes, earning first-team All-Big Ten. He also was awarded the Ameche-Dayne and Big Ten Running Back of the Year Awards. Johnson won these as he was the top running back in the Big Ten, leading the conference in rushing yards and touchdowns. This past year, Johnson totaled 1,537 rushing yards on 240 attempts for an impressive 6.4 yards per carry average. Additionally, he showed off his catching ability as he finished the season with 188 yards on 22 receptions for an 8.5 yards per catch average while adding two touchdowns.
Most impressive, though, Johnson totaled 66 missed tackles while racking up 1,060 yards after contact, which is nothing short of incredible. That’s an average of 0.25 missed tackles per touch. To put that in perspective, Jahmyr Gibbs posted a 0.19 missed tackle rate in college, and Saquon Barkley had a 0.23 rate. Both running backs were drafted in the first round, making Johnson an appealing NFL prospect. In short, Johnson is a special prospect.
Strengths
Listed at 6′ 0″ and 225, Johnson embodies the ideal size and physique of a modern NFL running back. He’s one of the best pure runners in this draft and played in the toughest conference, the Big Ten. On the field, Johnson has shown that he has plus contact balance, routinely breaking tackles and finishing off runs. Notably, he’s been effective in gap and zone schemes with excellent vision and decision-making ability as he hits holes without hesitation. He also has solid hands-on screenplays. Johnson has all the traits you look for in a workhorse running back at the next level, and being a younger prospect of a true freshman breakout adds to his value.
Johnson possesses everything you need in a solid runner: speed, power, patience, and vision. What separates him is his ability to power through contact and the way he runs through the tackles, as he averaged an elite 4.42 yards after contact per attempt. Even though he’s not a home run type of runner, he’s a grind-it-out bigger back, and during his junior year, he showed that all phases of his game are strong. Johnson plays confidently, and from his collegiate time, he showed that he’s a complete three-down playmaker who can succeed in today’s NFL.
Weaknesses
While Johnson was a starter in his sophomore year, his breakout didn’t happen until his junior year, so we have mainly one productive season to go off of. Johnson has proven to be a good pass catcher, but his route tree has been limited, as he’s primarily been used in the screen game. It will be important for him to showcase more to teams before the 2025 NFL Draft. Johnson has good lateral agility but can sometimes focus too much on being a north/south runner. Additionally, like most young running backs, his pass protection in 2024 was improving but still needs some work. Nevertheless, being a younger prospect, there’s no reason to believe he can’t improve upon these traits and develop his game further.
However, Johnson’s biggest red flag is his lack of explosiveness, which might limit him at the next level in the NFL. To clarify, he has good long speed but not great breakaway ability as defenders catch up to him. He’s not a home run hitter and projects to be more of a bruising runner.
Draft Projection
Johnson is projected to be a 2nd-round pick (54th overall prospect), according to NFL Mock Draft Database, as things currently stand before the NFL Combine and his pro day. He’s such a talent that teams will be willing to take a chance on his upside on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft, especially being a younger prospect who, with some refinement, projects to be a very good all-around running back in the NFL. Johnson is someone that some of your league mates might not be familiar with, but he will probably be soon as he’s beginning to rise on NFL Draft boards. Currently, he’s a prospect that projects in the mid-to-late first round of Dynasty Fantasy Football drafts, and he could be one of the steals of rookie drafts this year, especially with a nice landing spot. Rightfully so, everyone is on the Ashton Jeanty hype train, but Johnson is a prospect who looks to be a stud as well with his immense talent. Once he takes the RB1 job on his future NFL squad, don’t expect him to hand the keys back.
Conclusion
Johnson has been compared to many past star NFL running backs, with one being Arian Foster. I see some of Foster in Johnson’s game, but Melvin Gordon is a pro comparison I like better. Johnson reminds me the most of Gordon as he’s a true three-down running back who can do everything but might not possess that breakaway speed. As things stand now before the NFL combine, Johnson is beginning to gain some helium, and I will be watching his performance in Indianapolis and at Iowa’s pro day very closely to see if he rises any further. In many other draft classes, Johnson has the potential to be the overall RB1, but this year’s class is one of the best in many years, being led by Jeanty at the top. A plus for Johnson is that he has great size, and his ability as a rusher and as a pass catcher helps him to project to be a true three-down back. He’s a guy I’d be willing to take a shot at, especially because, being in the mid-to-late first round of Dynasty Rookie Drafts, he’s got RB1 upside if you miss out on getting Jeanty. I believe Johnson could be a great value and he has a great shot at becoming a Dynasty Fantasy Football stud. Johnson is one of the most elite playmakers in this draft, and I’m betting he will be one of the best running backs in this year’s 2025 rookie class.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you gained some valuable information. If you have any questions or you’d like additional insight and analysis, please follow me on Twitter/X at @MonicasHubby. #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuildin
