After waiting all the way through Day 2 without a second-round pick, the Steelers selected Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson with the 83rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

After addressing defensive tackle by selecting Oregon's Derrick Harmon in the first round, the Steelers addressed another position of need in the third round. And, it's a running back that was projected to go in the second round, so it definitely wasn't a reach. In fact, it was a perfect match.

"My heart dropped. My heart sunk, because I've been waiting all day," Johnson said tonight via conference call. "It's just been a dream for me and my family. It's an unreal feeling. I just can't explain it. I'm more than excited right now. I'm blessed."

Same as Johnson, the Steelers are more than excited and blessed to add a running back of his caliber this late in the draft.

"We need to get more explosive," Arthur Smith said tonight at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "And this is an explosive runner."

Based off his testing at the Combine, some may not expect the word "explosive" to be attached to Johnson. From some people I've spoken with on the inside Friday night, Johnson's 4.57 40-yard dash turned some teams off to him throughout Day 2. However, that didn't turn the Steelers off whatsoever.

"We didn't question his speed whatsoever watching the video. Oftentimes that's the case," Mike Tomlin said following the draft. "You can watch video and be really excited about someone's speed or you can go to the Combine and get excited by their combine 40 time. His speed was not in question on video. He broke a lot of long runs in the Big Ten, as we talked about earlier, and so 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's game is a bit reminiscent of former Steeler Le'Veon Bell. He's a bigger back at 6-1 and 224 pounds, but possesses underrated speed, is light on his feet and has the ability to accelerate quickly when he puts a foot in the ground. It's a familiar and attractive blend.

"They’re getting a physical running back and one that loves to go score touchdowns," Johnson said, describing what type of running back the Steelers are getting. "Just a guy that's ready to work and be determined and ready to give the Steelers his all."

Johnson does love to go score touchdowns. He ran for 21 scores last season with the Hawkeyes. And, unlike the typical big, physical back, he scored that often and ran for 1,535 yards by consistently finding ways to gain chunks on the ground. Last season, Johnson recorded 28 carries of 15-plus yards, 21 carries of 20-plus yards and six carries of 40-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition, he averaged a ridiculous 4.42 yards after contact per attempt.

Johnson also fits what Smith likes to do on offense. Iowa ran a lot of wide zone and outside zone, which is Smith's bread and butter. Working to become a good back in that type of system requires good vision, patience and an ability to make quick cuts and get downfield in a hurry. Johnson does all of that.

"He's one of the more instinctive backs I've watched in a couple years coming out of the draft," Smith said. "Perfect fit, regardless of whatever run scheme. He ran multiple at Iowa. He's really impressive as a volume runner as the game went on. I think one of the more impressive stats you've seen is what he averaged in the fourth quarter. I believe it was over five yards per carry, might have been closer to six. We think he's a great culture fit. Obviously, we're extremely fired up to get Kaleb in here."

Here's a very interesting note on Johnson from our very own Matt Williamson:

"Kaleb Johnson faced 7.1 defenders in the box per run, the second highest rate in this class behind Kalel Mullings, who had 55 fewer rushes. He faced a light box on a class-low 27.5% of his runs while facing 8 or more defenders in the box on 31.7% of his runs (second highest rate). When given a light box, Johnson racked up a class-high 9.8 yards per carry. The only other backs with over 8.0 YPC on those runs were TreVeyon Henderson and Ashton Jeanty."

Johnson put up the numbers he did in spite of the defense going all out to stop the run, and they still couldn't do it. And, he's used to running out of a lot of multiple tight end sets, too. Johnson's college colors won't be the only thing familiar when he starts carrying the ball for the Steelers.

"I’m going to continue what I'm doing," Johnson said. "Get better and to fix up on what I need to fix up, and just be the best I can be for the Steelers."