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Dallas Cowboys 2025 draft scouting report: RB Kaleb Johnson

March 20, 2025
Iowa Hawkeyes v Maryland Terrapins
Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Here is our scouting report on Kaleb Johnson from Iowa

We continue our 2025 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at running back Kaleb Johnson from Iowa.

Kaleb Johnson

RB
Iowa Hawkeyes
Junior
3-star recruit
6’1”
224 lbs

Iowa Hawkeyes v Maryland Terrapins Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

History

Kaleb Johnson was born on the 14th August 2003 and is originally from Hamilton, Ohio. He was a three-star recruit out of Hamilton High School, where he was known for his size, power, and durability as a workhorse back. He joined the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2022 having received 17 offers from different schools.

At Iowa, Johnson made an immediate impact as a freshman, leading the team in rushing with 779 yards and six touchdowns, including a standout performance against Purdue where he ran for 200 yards. He earned Freshman All-Big Ten honors for his effort.

In 2023, his production dipped slightly due to offensive struggles and lower body injuries, but he remained the team’s top back and displayed his combination of power, straight-line speed, and vision. He played in 10 games during his sophomore year and made 117 rush attempts for 463 rush yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Then in 2024, Johnson had his breakout season. He bounced back from a challenging 2023 campaign and reestablished himself as Iowa’s lead back and offensive focal point. He rushed for 1,537 yards with 21 touchdowns, both most in the Big Ten. He showed improved patience, vision, and a more consistent burst through the line.

Despite Iowa’s offensive limitations, Johnson’s ability to grind out tough yards, break tackles, and finish runs stood out and help Iowa on offense in many ways. He also showcased improved receiving ability, adding versatility to his game. His 2024 performance solidified him as a dependable, physical back with NFL potential, especially in power-running schemes. His excellence at the running back position within the Big Ten conference was awarded with Big Ten Running Back of the Year, First-Team honors, All-American honors and was the winner of the Roy J. Carver Most Valuable Player, which recognized his outstanding contributions to Iowa’s football team.

2024 Statistics

450 Offensive Snaps
240 Rush Attempts
1,537 Rush Yards
6.4 Yards Pre Carry
21 Rushing TDs
22 Receptions
188 Receiving Yards
2 Rec TD
0 Fumbles
71 First Downs
0 Penalties

NFL Combine/Pro Day

10-Yard Split- 1.56s (53%)
40-Yard Dash- 4.57s (63%)

Awards

All-America (2024)
Big Ten Running Back of the Year (2024)
First-Team All-Big Ten (2024)

Scorecard

Overall- 82.6
Speed- 68
Acceleration- 77
Agility- 71
Strength- 90
Tackling- 77
Contact Balance- 92
Vision- 87
Elusiveness- 71
Receiving- 61
Blocking- 55
Discipline- 99

THE GOOD

  • His size gives him a natural advantage in short-yardage situations and power runs, making him tough to bring down with arm tackles.
  • One of Johnson’s standout traits is his ability to read the defense and wait for running lanes to develop.
  • Shows patience at the line of scrimmage, waiting for his blockers to set up before making a decisive cut.
  • Has great ability to break tackles consistently, maintaining his speed after initial contact.
  • He accelerates quickly once he finds a lane, building speed with impressive straight-line burst.
  • He demonstrates good awareness in tight spaces, securing the football well. Zero fumbles in 2024.
  • His powerful lower body and ability to keep his legs churning make him a tough back to stop in the open field.
  • His ability to find the crease and make one quick move upfield is a big plus.

THE BAD

  • Johnson is more of a north-south runner. While he can make one quick cut, his lateral agility is not elite, and he struggles to make defenders miss in tight spaces.
  • He’s not known for making flashy moves or shaking tacklers with quick shifts.
  • He still needs to refine his skills in pass protection, particularly when facing quick blitzes.
  • He isn’t a huge receiving threat that will look to break out for big yardage after the catch, which limits his versatility on passing downs.
  • Johnson has decent speed for his size, but he doesn’t have elite breakaway speed or acceleration to outrun defensive backs.
  • Easily caught from behind.

THE FIT

Kaleb Johnson projects as a solid, late Day 2 pick, likely in the third round range. He could contribute right away as a rotational back or in short-yardage and goal-line situations. While he may not be an elite pass-catching or change-of-pace back, his power, vision, and consistency make him a valuable asset to a team that runs a traditional, power-based offense. With further development in pass protection and receiving, Johnson could carve out a significant role in the NFL.

His strengths lie in his size, power, and ability to break tackles, making him a tough, downhill runner. He has excellent vision and patience, allowing him to find running lanes and maximize yardage. His balance after contact and straight-line burst are also notable. However, his weaknesses include limited lateral agility, which makes him less elusive in tight spaces, and his pass protection skills could use improvement. Additionally, he isn’t a dynamic threat in the passing game limiting his appeal as a dual-threat back.

Johnson could be a solid fit for the Dallas Cowboys as a physical, between-the-tackles runner to complement their newly constructed backfield. With Javonte Williams serving as the more dynamic back, Johnson’s power, vision, and ability to break tackles would provide a nice balance to the offense, especially in short-yardage and goal-line situations. His ability to churn out tough yards and wear down defenses would be valuable in grinding out clock control, making him an ideal complement to Williams versatility and not wear him down. Additionally, Johnson’s size and strength make him a good fit for the Cowboys’ power running schemes.

Johnson would come into Dallas more as the crash runner and not as the every down back. His lack of ability as a receiver or in pass protection make him a piece to be used in obvious running situations or to control the ball. Given Williams’ past history with injuries this makes Johnson a slight gamble, and even more so given his Day 2 valuation.

COMPARISON:

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

BTB GRADE:

47th

CONSENSUS RANKING

67th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services, including BTB)


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