Steelers Not Concerned with RB Kaleb Johnson's 40 Time: ‘We Didn't Question His Speed Whatsoever'
From Steelers Now:
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Athletics
The Pittsburgh Steelers are not concerned with rookie running back Kaleb Johnson's 4.57-second 40-yard dash time.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to add more big-play ability at running back with Kaleb Johnson, the team's third-round pick (No. 83) in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, many are questioning if he'll be able to provide that after running a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is not among those, though.
'We didn't question his speed whatsoever watching the video,' Tomlin said. 'Often times, that's the case, you watch video and be really excited about someone's speed or you go to the combine and get excited about the combine 40 time. His speed was not in question on video. He broke a lot of long runs in the Big 10, as we talked about earlier. And so, he's just a very talented, young guy. But also at the same time, he's a third-year junior. Just excited to be part of his continued growth process.'
Johnson isn't bringing elite speed to Pittsburgh as a bigger back, standing at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds. But he has proven to be more than capable of breaking off big runs during his three years at Iowa.
According to Dale Lolley of Steelers.com, Johnson has reached 22 miles per hour per GPS measurements on field, which translates to a 40-yard dash in the 4.3s. There are only a handful of NFL players who have hit 22 mph, including new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf, and nobody is questioning his speed.
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Johnson did that while having a breakout season in 2024, when he rushed for a career-high 1,537 yards (6.4 yards per carry) and 21 touchdowns. He also recorded 22 catches for 188 yards and two more scores.
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Athletics
Game speed vs. 40-yard dash speed has been greatly debated over the years, but Johnson will have the opportunity to prove that what he does with pads on is what truly matters.
The 21-year-old thinks he'll be able to do just that as he sees himself as a perfect fit in Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense.
'I feel like, in general, it fits what I was doing at Iowa,' Johnson said. 'So I'm just going to continue what I'm doing and get better, fix what I need to fix up, and just be the best I can be for the Steelers.'
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Not Concerned with RB Kaleb Johnson's 40 Time: 'We Didn't Question His Speed Whatsoever'
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