The Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t have a quarterback. And if you ask Mel Kiper, there are about a billion instances in this draft where they should have drafted Shedeur Sanders. But, they didn’t, and are on a collision course for a weird, slow offense with ayahuasca addict and health guru Aaron Rodgers under center. In the draft, however, they addressed a key need: Pittsburgh lost Najee Harris this offseason, and replaced him with… Najee Harris. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson should slide right into that role, but more on that later.
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 21 | Derrick Harmon | DT | Oregon |
| 3 | 83 | Kaleb Johnson | RB | Iowa |
| 4 | 123 | Jack Sawyer | EDGE | Ohio State |
| 5 | 164 | Yahya Black | DT | Iowa |
| 6 | 185 | Will Howard | QB | Ohio State |
| 7 | 226 | Carson Bruener | LB | Washington |
| 7 | 229 | Donte Kent | CB | Central Michigan |
Round 3, Pick 83: Kaleb Johnson, Running Back, Iowa (6’1″, 224 lbs)
TALENT
Johnson is a throwback to the no-nonsense running that we saw in the past. He has classic running back size, and his speed plays much faster than his 4.57 40-yard dash would indicate. He has a great blend of speed and power, and he uses that to get shifty between the tackles and maximize the huge holes Iowa created for him. He is patient despite inconsistent vision, and his cutbacks are not the best. That said, if he gets the ball through the first level, it will be a massive gain. He is swift in the open field, though he doesn’t have a very deep bag of moves.
The biggest knock on Johnson is that he plays more like a 5’10” 200-pound back than the guy we would expect when seeing his frame. He doesn’t plow through tacklers, and his game is more predicated on speed and finesse than blasting through would-be tacklers. He relies on adjusting angles to knock tacklers off-frame rather than taking them head-on. That could be a problem at the next level, but I enjoyed watching Johnson.
NFL Comparison: Jordan Mason
Pre-Draft Grade: 3rd Round
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
RB1 Kaleb Johnson
RB2 Jaylen Warren
RB3 Kenneth Gainwell
RB4 Cordarrelle Patterson
Kaleb Johnson is going to slide seamlessly into the Najee Harris Role. All apologies to Jaylen Warren Truthers, but he isn’t about that life. We used to be a proper country that would respect PPR backs like J.D. McKissic and Theo Riddick for what they were and not try to elevate them above their status. Jaylen Warren is the heir apparent to that role.
But we want to talk about Kaleb Johnson’s opportunities. Last year, Najee Harris finished the season with a 50.2% snap share, which wasn’t great. He left the field too much for my taste, but he managed 263 carries on 50% of snaps (seventh-most in the league). Harris also had six goal-line carries and 48 targets. This led to RB25 in fantasy points per game, likely because of his career-low six total touchdowns.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
I love Kaleb Johnson in Pittsburgh. Many folks soured on Najee Harris because they were hellbent on making Jaylen Warren a thing, but Kaleb is like if Najee Harris had slightly more juice.
Kaleb Johnson has an ADP of RB26, now that rookie fever has died down. He’s behind Quinshon Judkins (RB24), RJ Harvey (RB21), and TreVeyon Henderson (RB20). Judkins tracks, but Harvey and Henderson don’t make much sense. Harvey is the worst back of this group, and Henderson has the most touch competition with Rhamondre Stevenson in the room. I would take Kaleb Johnson over Harvey, but Henderson could be a second-half league winner should he vanquish Stevenson.
But Kaleb Johnson is a great pick, and the last guy for a while without touch concerns. He is immediately ahead of Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift, and Isiah Pacheco. If you’re looking to snag someone with no workload concerns, then Kaleb is your last chance for a while.
Round 6, Pick 185: Will Howard, Quarterback, Ohio State (6’4″, 236 lbs)
TALENT
Howard has been around the block. He will turn 24 during the 2025 NFL season and was officially listed as a grad student for the Buckeyes in 2024. Howard is a good story, going from the doldrums of nearly washing out at Kansas State to “leading” Ohio State to the NCAA Championship Game.
Howard is a solid quarterback within structure. He has impressive arm strength, good enough accuracy, and an ability to make quick decisions. Howard sometimes locks onto his first read, which causes issues, and his field vision isn’t great, likely due to his grip-and-rip play style. To wit, the first play I watched of his was a pick-six against Penn State because he didn’t see a cornerback standing there. But, all in all, he’s a solid quarterback inside structure.
When things break down, however, all hell breaks loose. Howard loses all mechanics, and balls sail on him, giving defenders easy chances to knock the ball away. He also fails to throw his receivers open the second there’s a drop of pressure on him. That will be a significant problem in the NFL, as the worst team in 2024, the Panthers, still pressured the quarterback on 16% of snaps. That might not sound like a lot, but that’s immediately knocking about 10 snaps off for Howard, who cannot handle pressure.
Howard will ultimately settle in as a high-end backup in the NFL and would greatly benefit from a firmly structured offense with an established starter in front of him.
Draft Grade: Round 5
NFL Comparison: Nick Foles
2025 OPPORTUNITY
Depth Chart:
QB1 Mason Rudolph
QB2 Will Howard
QB3 Skylar Thompson
This is the depth chart for now, but really, it won’t be the depth chart when Pittsburgh takes its first snap in week one at the New York Jets. The scriptwriters stretched for that one, didn’t they? Anyway, the Steelers love the stability that Mason Rudolph provides for their offense, so even if Rodgers comes, and falls flat on his face, I doubt we get past Rodgers and Rudolph this season. If Rodgers decides to become the Ivermectin Czar in RFK Jr’s HHS, then we might see Will Howard this season, as Mason Rudolph is steady… steadily bad at football.
2025 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Will Howard could have an insane heater in him, a la Nick Foles, but I doubt we’ll see that this season. The Steelers have D.K. Metcalf and no other receivers of note, so his weapons won’t bring him up. I have no interest in Will Howard in redraft leagues.
