This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Opportunity, Kaleb's not even the best RB on his own team. I do not think the age difference it a BIG deal, one factor yes.
Which seems like a big one. Are we just getting a touchdown dependent back here who will be sharing with Warren?
You think Warren is a better RB than Kaleb? I know he's a really good receiving back, but not so sure he's a better pure runner than Kaleb....
Maybe not between the tackles but overall yes. Don't see Kaleb catching too many passes. Warren played hurt a decent portion of last year, expecting a better year from him this year.
Jaylen Warren is better than any broncos RB.
I think so but could very well be oven wrong.
Who would you want between Johnson and Pearsall? Aiyuk? Saying you're set at both positions. Are they close in value?
Pearsall
The last three years Iowa has had one of the worst passing offenses in all of college football. Kaleb's first two years the Coach's kid was the OC and he was dreadful. Last year Kaleb caught a higher % of his team's completions than Gibbs did for Detroit, Brown for Cincy, and yes, also Warren for the Steelers. Warren has played 48 games in his 3 year pro career. Kaleb missed 1 game last year. Kaleb's catch % last year was also better than Warren's 3 year career numbers.
I hadn’t even considered this possibility. Warren outsnapped Najee on occasion, but didn’t prevent Najee from getting 300 touches each of the past 3 years. Seems like the Steelers prefer that bruiser type lead back and Kaleb should slide right into that lead role. Also, Warren is a FA in 2026 and it’s looking like he will be moving on.
This feels like a wild take, sorry. Obviously the Steelers disagree otherwise they would not have used their second pick in this draft, a third rounder, on a RB in a class incredibly deep at the position and when they had 5 later picks they could have used to take a swing at lesser RBs. You don't do what they did if you're just looking for a backup/complementary piece. The Warren hype is almost out of control at this point. And this is coming from a Steelers fan. Will he get more usage this year than previous years; sure I can see that while onboarding a rookie. But to claim a UDFA with basically 0 pedigree, worse in nearly every measurement/scale/grading system compared to Johnson, who's already had 3 years and plenty of chances to take a starting role in the NFL, is better then Johnson is... a take.
Why not? Seattle took Charbonnet in the 2nd when they already had a superior back on their roster.
Lol.... if you want to draw some comparisons between Kaleb and Charbs situationally, sure I can see that. But if you are in the same breath comparing Jaylen Warren to Ken Walker, I'll reiterate my "the Warren hype is almost out of control at this point" statement. And this is coming from someone who has been low on Walker from the jump.
The love for Warren is unwarranted. He came in on passing downs and got rushing yards when the defense was "softer", came in after Najee had done heavy lifting, and has never had more than 150 attempts. Add to that the belief that he won't be resigned after this season and there's little chance that Warren's role will increase from his 150ish attempts from 2023. His numbers could even go down if Kenny Gainwell gets some opportunities.
I can see how you read that, but not what I meant at all.
If you think Kaleb Johnson was drafted as depth, then I don't know what to say to you.
Fair enough. IMO drafting depth in the third round is typically the exception much more so than the rule. Especially when looking at individual circumstances and seeing that team's current "lead back" was an UDFA, has to this point only played second fiddle at best, has a contract expiring at the end of this year, has never exceeded 150 touches on a season, and has exceeded a 60% snap share in only 2 games over 3 seasons. IOW, if my grandmother had two wheels, she'd be a bicycle.
Not what I meant. I didn't word that properly. I'm sure Pittsburg drafted him for a reason.
Greetings Payne,
Right on!
And one of the only worries I read in multiple pre-draft analysis write ups on Johnson (nope, it wasn't about receiving haha) was that he could be scheme dependent and therefore could be a bit landing spot dependent to reach his ceiling. The scheme they all identified; wide zone. I'm not too worried about him in that offense. I may be jinxing us by saying this, but I believe even Arthur Smith can't mess this up!
He had 22 recs last year, the leading WR in Iowa had 35. Seems like he might be a decent receiver.
i dont bet, but if I did, i'd let you call the stakes, Kaleb out touches Warren 2:1 this year, barring injury.
Totally agree. Kaleb is a perfect fit for the Steelers and they are going to continue to run the ball. This kid is going to have a big season.
Who is the Quarterback throwing them the ball?
Out of curiosity, which of the following four RBs would you pass on in favor of Johnson?
Not crazy and only thing I might see different is ceiling/floor. I'm kind of the opposite and out of the competition of Harvey, Judkins and Henderson grouping I have him as the lowest floor and highest ceiling.
Would've been Henderson and Judkins but managed to trade down.
People love underdogs, and the media hypes Warren up as a zero-RB darling. He's a nice COP back, nothing more.
Rodgers to all 3 of those questions. If not the Howard. And next year maybe Allar or Neusbauer or whatever his name is.
Third round is solid draft capital for a RB. Especially considering the Stillers didn’t have a 2nd and a lot of teams passed on Kaleb because he didn’t fit the profile. But maybe you are right and he’s another Amos Zeroue. Worth 1.7 or so to find out in my opinion.
Ok