After the start to the season that Iowa junior running back Kaleb Johnson is having, it’s no surprise to see the 2025 NFL draft buzz is building.
Through the first three games of the Hawkeyes’ 2024 season, Johnson is the nation’s leading rusher. The 6-foot, 225 pound running back has eclipsed the century mark in every game so far this season, including the season opener versus Illinois State where he was suspended for the first half.
With that feat, Johnson became the first Iowa running back since Jordan Canzeri in 2015 to rush for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games. Johnson also joined LeShun Daniels, Jr., in 2015 as the most recent Hawkeye to register two or more touchdowns in three straight games.
Johnson has rushed for 479 yards so far this season and is averaging 7.9 yards per carry. The Hamilton, Ohio, product has two rushing touchdowns in every game.
It’s early, but right now Johnson is tracking as a Doak Walker Award finalist and perhaps even the recipient.
The ESPN draft experts are taking note, too. ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid featured Johnson as the sleeper that caught his eye in the season’s first three weeks.
There are very few running backs who have been better through the first three games of the season than Johnson, who has already rushed for 479 yards and six touchdowns. He is a fast-moving, decisive runner who can accelerate through lanes in a hurry. At 6-foot and 225 pounds, Johnson has a dense frame that helps him take on and run through contact. He is capable of running from multiple platforms and could fit in various blocking schemes in the pros. – Reid, ESPN.
Johnson has always possessed an extra gear. That’s been on display early and often thus far this season. Johnson already has seven runs of 25-plus yards, including three that have gone for touchdowns.
But, it’s Johnson’s step forward in the physicality department that should have NFL front offices falling all over themselves to add him to their rosters in the very near future.
Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson already has 308 yards after contact.
Johnson is looking more and more like a complete back and certainly one of the Big Ten and nation’s finest.
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