Kaleb Johnson Must Perfect Pass Protection to Make Steelers Rookie Impact
PITTSBURGH — There's a steep learning curve in one aspect of Kaleb Johnson's professional game. The Pittsburgh Steelers tailback knows how to carry the ball. In a much smaller sample size, he's demonstrated that he's able to catch passes out of the backfield.
Getting pass protection down is a facet of Johnson's game that he wants to solidify. He has a solid tutor in Jaylen Warren, who's put more than a few rushers on their backs while playing for the Steelers.
Advertisement
'Warren, I've been on him every day about it,' Johnson said after Thursday's OTA practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. 'Questioning him how to do this, how to do that, and make sure I get my technique down to Point A.'
Johnson worked through drills, jabbing his hands into a large weighted ball, shuffling in front of assistant coaches holding pads, and lunging at a large punching bag from his knees. He's learning there's more to the craft than simply stepping into someone.
'Adjusting to the technique of pass-blocking,' Johnson said. 'It was different when I was at Iowa. It was just you get out there and you get low and hit, but now here you've gotta (get) technique, low, and bring your hips.'
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson at OTAs on May 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers now
The Steelers' third-round draft pick has been trying to soak up whatever he can from the veterans in the room, including free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell.
Advertisement
'He definitely looks like a rookie,' Gainwell said of Kaleb Johnson with a laugh. 'I love his attitude of wanting to learn. He wants to learn from us. He actually pushes all the time, and just coming in just asking, 'What do I need to be doing on this? How am I looking on this?' Or, 'What steps (do) I need to be taking on this?' … I'm happy he's asking questions.'
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Kaleb Johnson Must Perfect Pass Protection to Make Steelers Rookie Impact
Related Headlines
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Which Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie, not named Travis Hunter, is player to watch in 2025?
Which Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie, not named Travis Hunter, is player to watch in 2025? Of the Jacksonville Jaguars' draft picks, which rookie, not named Travis Hunter, will you be watching most closely this season? Of the Jacksonville Jaguars' nine draft picks, which one will you be watching most closely during the 2025 NFL season? Pro Football Focus recently answered this question for all 32 teams, and not surprisingly, they selected Travis Hunter, which I'm guessing is going to be the answer for most. How can you not want to see how Hunter and the team navigates him playing on both sides of the ball? "Hunter is one of the most intriguing rookies in NFL history," wrote PFF. "Last year's Heisman Trophy winner is the greatest two-way player in college football history, having earned an 89.0 PFF receiving grade and a 90.3 PFF coverage grade. He projects as more of a receiver for the Jaguars right now but should still see a healthy number of snaps at cornerback in more of a rotational role." With Hunter being the obvious choice here, I'm going to take it in a bit of a different direction. So which rookie, outside of Hunter, am I most intrigued by? Running back Bhayshul Tuten, specifically, how big of a role can he play in 2025? How the playing time shakes out in the running back room this season remains to be seen. Returning from last year's team are Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, although Etienne struggled with efficiency, averaging 3.7 yards per rush in 2024, while Bigsby put the ball on the ground. Under the Jaguars' new leadership structure, as a draft pick, Tuten is 'their guy.' But like any young player, there will be a learning curve for Tuen to navigate as he adjusts to the NFL level and a new, demanding offensive scheme. Early on in OTAs, Tuten has already put the ball on the ground, which was an issue he dealt with during his college career. However, what he brings to the Jaguars' offense is speed, running a 4.32-second 40 during the pre-draft process--the fastest time of any running back at the NFL combine--and big-play ability. Last season, Tuten averaged 6.3 yards per rush and was difficult to bring down, ranking 13th in average yards after contact and 16th in missed tackles forced, per PFF. Having a strong running game to lean on is going to be important to the overall success of the Jaguars' offense. I think we can all expect Tuten to have a role this season, but how big of one may still have to be determined. "I thought last week, as we were kind of getting more into the scheme, he was getting a little bit more comfortable," Coen said of Tuten last week. "I thought he started to get a little bit more into it, had a couple better runs of feeling the zone and being able to stick his foot in the ground and accelerate. "So, good learning experience. You know, first time in a live setting in the National Football League, on your first carry, hopefully you learn something from that moment."
USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
First impression of Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson after OTAs
First impression of Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson after OTAs The Pittsburgh Steelers knew a year ago they would not have running back Najee Harris in 2025. So when the 2025 NFL draft rolled around, no one was shocked when the Steelers spent a third-round pick on former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. Johnson got his first taste of the NFL during the first week of Steelers OTAs and here are some first impressions of the player. Johnson comes across as a very confident player who does not seem like the NFL is too big for him. Johnson was the heart and soul of the Iowa offense and you can see that level of maturity and leadership has carried over into the league. Johnson might not be the team's feature back in 2025 but there's no doubt the coaches aren't going to be fearful of putting Johnson on the field in important situations and downs. The other thing that really jumped out about Johnson is his conditioning. There's nothing head coach Mike Tomlin wants more from a rookie than proper NFL-caliber conditioning. This will be even more important in July when training camp starts, but if this week is any indication, Johnson takes his conditioning very seriously and this is going to translate into early opportunities. Pittsburgh feels like they got a bargain and a special player in Johnson and early returns are in and they might have nailed this one.
Associated Press
44 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Many killed by floods as northern Nigeria battles climate change, dry spells and heavy rainfall
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day.
