Could Kaleb Johnson be this draft class' Todd Gurley?

Yahoo

18-03-2025

Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and PFF's lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema discuss the strengths and weaknesses of former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson and give some potential team fits. Hear the full conversation on 'Football 301' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Caleb Johnson is like science guy meme hands up, like, I don't know what to do with you here, um, because this breakdown Cale Johnson because he's he's a unique watch.
Yeah.
So there are plays of Caleb Johnson and and a handful of plays.
I'm not just talking about a couple where I go.
That's Todd Gurley.
Like, that's like, that's, that's today's version of Todd Gurley, like who he is as a runner.
Um, I love him in outside zone.
I love when you can get him towards the sideline and he could just put his foot in the ground and just take off up the field.
I think for being 6'1, 225 pounds, the long speed that he has, the top speed when he gets up to it, ton of speed to power that he converts there with his momentum, can really get up the field and hit those home runs for you.
I thought where there were good plays, he was inconsistent when it came to those 3rd down abilities.
So like, pass catching and pass protecting.
Not that he can't do it.
Obviously, he's built like somebody who I felt as though could be a nice 3rd down player, but I didn't think that he was consistent in either of those areas.
And then there were times when I just didn't love his vision between the tackles in those man and gap scheme run blocking concepts.
So if you tell me that like, If you put Caleb Johnson.
With the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers, like teams like that, where, where you were just able to get to the outside and run outside zone a lot, like, I mean, like he would be a 1000 yard back for you, even as a rookie.
But I don't think One thing that we're doing at PFF this year, which I'm super excited about is we're getting into more like team-centric big boards.
So we're gonna release team like top 100s, like for every team, like given what they need, given their styles, like all these kinds of stuff.
And Caleb Johnson to me is gonna be one that's gonna have a ton of different range, cause for some teams, I might go, I don't love him behind that blocking concept that they're trying to run.
And in other concepts, I might go, this dude's gonna be a 1000 yard runner if they draft him as a rookie.
So, To me, there were just too many areas of his game where I felt like it was inconsistent, specifically in the 3rd down, like, pass.
Uh, what do I say, like, like past game pluses.
I just felt as though he was a little bit lack in that regard, but like as a runner, like I said, there are times when I watch him and I go, this is Todd Gurley again.
So there's just, it's, I, I'm very indifferent about where I'm gonna end up on Caleb Johnson.
Yeah, he, I have him and Judkins right next to each other, um, that's kind of like running back 34, and I'm totally with you is that.
He grew on me.
He was a guy that I actually was lower on the most, and then he kind of grew on me and I feel like I'm gonna stay right here in this range where I have the overall like mid-40s kind of overall my big board somewhere around there.
Um, there's some Aarian Foster there, and I think maybe it's just some zone, zone zone, but they're the same size, they kind of have the same speed.
That's the guy that I keep watching, that's the upside that you're hoping for.
But again, where A Foster go on the draft rafted.
And that, that, you know, do you take that skill set on day two?
Like, you know, and again, that's kind of going with the result of Aaron Foster was, but again, just saying some of the limitations.
He's a classic early down only back.
I like this guy to take the majority share of touches, but then you need somebody else on your team to balance them out, to help him out, to do some of the dirty work stuff to be the classic scap back protection back.
If I could get.
Shoot, if I can get Johnson and Traveon Henderson on the same team, we're gold.
Let's get these two like we're awesome.
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