PITTSBURGH — For a minute, consider this offense: Run-heavy. Pro-style. Multiple tight ends. A plethora of zone blocking. Oh, and the jerseys are black and gold.
If that sounds a lot like the Pittsburgh Steelers, it should. But it isn’t.
We’re talking about Iowa, the offense in which Steelers third-round pick Kaleb Johnson shined in 2024, racking up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. Despite his modest 4.57 40-yard dash time, he was second in the FBS last season with 21 carries of 20 yards or more, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. In eight of his 12 games, Johnson eclipsed the 100-yard plateau, including a 206-yard outburst against Minnesota.
For a Steelers team that ran the ball fourth most in the NFL last year, and for an offensive coordinator like Arthur Smith, who has a long history of utilizing outside-zone runs and multiple tight ends, Johnson was a “perfect fit.”
“One of the more instinctive backs that I’ve watched in a couple years coming out of the draft,” Smith said. “Perfect fit, regardless of whatever run scheme you’re running. He ran multiple at Iowa. Really impressive as a volume runner, as the game went on. One of the more impressive stats that you’ve seen as far as fourth quarter. What’d he have? Over 5 yards per carry, but closer to 6.”
The pick at No. 83 capped two days in which the draft board unfolded about as close to ideal as possible for Pittsburgh, giving the Steelers an opportunity to find the right balance of value and need.
Though many commenters and fans are looking at the Steelers’ uncertain quarterback situation and questioning their decision to pass on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders twice, the team saw its needs differently. Rather than repeating 2022 by overdrafting a polarizing QB, even when Sanders was still on the board in the third round, the Steelers were — and are — targeting a Day 3 quarterback who will be a developmental piece, ideally behind Aaron Rodgers.
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“We really did not factor whether Aaron is coming or not into that,” owner and team president Art Rooney II said on Steelers Nation Radio. “If we draft a quarterback — and we still might — it’s probably not someone who’s going to start for us this year. It’s going to be somebody that will be developing and may play down the road. It’s not like somebody that’s going to have a big impact on this season if we draft a quarterback.”
Instead of QB, the Steelers centered their search on two primary position groups during the pre-draft process: Defensive tackle and running back. Of the 30 pre-draft visitors to come to Pittsburgh, nine were running backs and eight were defensive linemen. That wasn’t a coincidence.
Because of the depth of both position groups, it appeared likely that Pittsburgh would find quality contributors to check both boxes. The way the draft unfolded on Day 1 and Day 2, the Steelers might not have been able to ask for a much better outcome.
At defensive tackle, the Steelers identified three players they believed would be within their reach at No. 21. Two were drafted early — Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen. But the third, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, fell right into their lap. GM Omar Khan said Harmon was one of a handful of players the Steelers deemed too good to trade away from.
And of the three defensive tackles, Harmon might end up being the best scheme fit for Pittsburgh. Had the Steelers drafted a bigger body like Grant, they would have likely plugged him in as a nose tackle and asked Keeanu Benton to shift to the 3-4 end position in the base defense. Breaking in a rookie and a third-year player at a (somewhat) new position at the same time isn’t ideal.
Instead, they found a defensive tackle who starred in various roles in an odd front, which is what the Steelers run as their base defense. More importantly, Harmon led FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 pressures in 2024, which shows he has the chance to be what coach Mike Tomlin called an “all circumstances” lineman, playing on all three downs and in sub packages.
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The two players people have compared Harmon to most often? Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, who both excelled for the Steelers.
Then, in a deep and talented running back class, Pittsburgh looked to find the right player to round out its room at the end of Day 2 or the beginning of Day 3. Rated by The Athletic’s draft guru, Dane Brugler, as the third-best running back and 44th overall player, Johnson brought great value with the 83rd selection. Many, including myself, believed he’d be drafted early on Day 2 instead of at the end of it.
At 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, he offers a different body type than the 5-8 Jaylen Warren and the 5-9 Kenneth Gainwell, which is a good thing. By adding a more physical back, the Steelers could have their future three-down ball carrier — or at least a different body type and running style to give them a diverse, well-rounded trio.
“They’re gonna get a physical running back, one that loves to score touchdowns,” Johnson said. “Just a guy that’s ready to work and be determined and ready to give the Steelers his all.”
Because of Johnson’s patient running style and the way he sets up blocks, analysts have compared him to a certain former Steeler, Le’Veon Bell.
Though the Steelers still have a lot of faith in Warren to step into an expanded role, it was important for a team that wants to win games on the ground to have options in the backfield. When Najee Harris signed with the Chargers in free agency, the Steelers lost 263 carries from 2024. Even though they have added another mouth to feed, Smith said there’s plenty to go around.
“Generally, you’ve got 500-plus carries in a regular season,” he said. “Obviously losing (Najee), four years here, he was very durable. That’s a lot of missing carries.”
Neither player is going to throw the ball to DK Metcalf, but the moves also say something about the Steelers’ belief that Rodgers will eventually sign his name on a dotted line. If Pittsburgh was more concerned that Rodgers might want to play elsewhere or that he could retire, they might have prioritized quarterback earlier or been more willing to take a gamble on someone like Sanders.
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Punting on the position early in the draft tells you the Steelers still are holding out hope for Rodgers, and that they’d rather spend a Day 1 pick on a QB when the class is considered stronger in 2026.
“We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently,” Rooney said. “(Aaron Rodgers) does want to come here, so I do think we may get word soon.”
Whether or not Rodgers signs with the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s draft room decision-makers are working to build this team the right way. Rather than scurrying to fill holes or throw a Hail Mary at QB, they remain committed to the long-term vision as a rough-and-tumble, ground-and-pound football team.
If that sounds like the Steelers, it should.
(Photo of Kaleb Johnson: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
Mike DeFabo is a staff writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, he spent three years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a Penguins beat writer, three years covering Purdue football and basketball for CNHI and one season following the Michigan State basketball team to the 2019 Final Four for the Lansing State Journal. Mike is a native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the proud home of Steelers training camp, and graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeDeFabo
