Finding Broncos: Scouting Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson

The Denver Broncos need a talent infusion at running back. It's the worst-kept secret in the NFL this offseason.

One prospect who could provide the Broncos just that is Iowa's Kaleb Johnson. What would he bring to the table?

Let's dive into Johnson's scouting report.

Biography

Johnson was born in Hamilton, Ohio, and will turn 22 in August, so he's still young for a running back. After committing to the University of California, he flipped to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

Size & Athleticism

At 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, Johnson is a tall and thick running back. His athleticism for his size is quite good.

Johnson doesn’t have great long speed, but his speed score, which factors height and weight, is still good, meaning he has good long speed for his size. 

Key Statistic

Johnson was great as a fourth-quarter closer for Iowa, as he picked up 339 yards and seven touchdowns on 42 carries ( 8.1 yards per carry) in the fourth quarter last season, all while never putting the ball on the ground.

That fourth-quarter production represents 22.1% of Johnson's 2024 yardage and 31.8% of his touchdowns.

Pros

Johnson has the size, frame, and build to be a traditional bell-cow running back. He carries the ball high and tight, didn’t fumble in 2024, and had a career crumble rate of one every 134 touches. His size makes him challenging to bring down, and he keeps his legs churning to carry defenders for extra yards. 

Johnson's stamina is second to none, busting off multiple touchdowns of 50-plus yards in the fourth quarter. He has an elite balance between patience and decisiveness, never leaning too much toward one or the other. He's quick to press the line and has excellent vision to find the lanes that are opened up, even when they aren’t there by design. 

Johnson is a big-run threat because he can break through tacklers at the second level. Even with an upright running style, he has excellent contact balance, making it hard to take his legs out from under him. His active feet keep him light, and he can change direction on a dime. 

While at Iowa, the Hawkeyes switched to a mid-zone rushing scheme for 2024, which is easier to project into inside zone and gap schemes at the NFL level. Johnson's vision is a bonus, but he also has the patience and trust in his blockers so that he doesn’t give up on the run design too early. 

While Johnson wasn’t asked to handle pass protection often, he did well in limited reps. The same is true for his work as a receiver, and he showed room for more when going through positional drills at the combine. Johnson won’t be a back who can line up in the slot or out wide, but he has the traits to be an effective receiving back out of the backfield. 

Cons

Johnson's upright running style can draw unnecessary contact when working between the tackles. It also opens up his body to unnecessary contact than if he were to protect himself more. Also, despite his size, he doesn’t have that angry run style that you typically see in backs of his stature. 

While Johnson does have some jump-cut ability, his agility isn’t great, which can lead to issues with changing direction. His feet are light, but he may not have the looseness in the hips to be truly elite in this aspect. 

Johnson's weight gain from the NFL Combine to the Iowa pro day raised flags about keeping his weight in check. Keeping him at 220-225 is ideal, but 225-plus may be more problematic. He also dealt with an ankle sprain in 2023 that he tried to play through, which raised some red flags, even though it was two seasons ago. 

Johnson's limited usage as a receiver and blocker might turn some teams off because it suggests a more significant role in either. When you have to project an aspect of a player's game from limited usage to a more extensive one, the scouting process gets messy and can lead to misses. 

Fit with Broncos

Johnson would be a good fit for Sean Payton's offense, which employs a wide range of concepts, even though its base is gap-centric. The bigger question with Johnson and his fit with the Broncos is whether Payton sees enough as a receiver and blocker to build upon and develop into more.  

Draft Grade: Round 2