His 40 time was unimpressive. Profiles written about him in the lead-up to the draft were peppered with phrases such as “lacks sudden acceleration.” At times, “top-end speed” was regarded as his top weakness.

For a team in search of a replacement — upgrade? — over its four-year, reliable-but-underwhelming No. 1 running back, Kaleb Johnson’s profile could be viewed as … uninspiring. At least insofar as the third-round pick’s big-play abilities.

Luckily for the Pittsburgh Steelers, though, Johnson’s college numbers say otherwise. So, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, does the tape.

“We didn’t question his speed whatsoever watching the video,” Tomlin said of Johnson. “His speed was not in question on video.”

Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds) is of similar size to what Najee Harris was when the Steelers drafted him four years ago: 6-1, 232. They had similar production in their final college seasons, too: Harris had 251 carries for 1,466 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns, and Johnson ran 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Putting aside that Harris was taken 24th overall and Johnson was taken at No. 83 in the third round, all of this suggests Johnson could profile for a similar career. Harris evolved into a durable workhorse who could gamely accumulate tough yards on first- and second downs — but he rarely broke any big runs. In 56 of the 71 games he played for the Steelers, Harris did not break even one carry of more than 20 yards.

If the Steelers brain trust is to believed, that’s not how they view Johnson.

“I look at him,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said, “as an explosive weapon.”

Smith repeated the word “explosive” nine times over the span of answering nine questions from reporters in the immediate aftermath of Johnson’s selection Friday night.

Tomlin says the tape doesn’t lie about the explosiveness of Johnson, whose time of 4.57 seconds at the combine was better than just four of the other 23 running backs who took part in the 40-yard dash there.

Upcoming Local Events

More local events

The analytics back up Tomlin’s eyes.

Among the 59 running backs in the country last season in college football who had at least 165 carries, none had a higher percentage of yards gained on plays that went for 15 yards or more than Johnson (56.1%, according to Pro Football Focus). Only two players had more such runs, period (28). Only five had more runs of 10-plus yards.

“He broke a lot of long runs in the Big Ten,” Tomlin said.

“He’s just a very talented young guy, but also at the same time, he’s a third-year junior, and it’s just exciting to be a part of his continued growth process.”

Johnson, who won’t turn 22 until after the Steelers’ first preseason game, is on track to replace Harris as an early-down back to complement Jaylen Warren and recently signed veteran Kenneth Gainwell. The latter two thrive in passing-down roles, though Warren over the past two seasons cut sharply into Harris’ playing time on first and second downs.

Part of the appeal of Johnson to the Steelers was he played in a pro-style offense at Iowa. Tomlin noted that scouting players coming out of modern college football can sometimes be problematic.

“A lot of NFL Sunday-like runs, if you will,” Tomlin said of Johnson, “meaning he did it from the home position or the pistol position into a lot of loaded boxes. There wasn’t a lot of guesswork or Saturday-like holes on his tape, and that made the evaluation a fun one and the projection an easy one.”

The uniforms aren’t the only similarities between the Iowa program and the Steelers, and it is the belief of the latter that Johnson’s elite production for the Hawkeyes will carry over.

“I feel like in general, (his style) fits,” Johnson said. “… I was doing that in Iowa. So, I’m going to continue what I’m doing and get better and to fix up on what I need to fix up to just be the best I can be for the Steelers.”

Featured Local Businesses

More local businesses