PPRTyler said he flipped from lukewarm to bullish on rookie back Caleb Johnson after seeing the landing spot. Johnson’s best trait is his patience in wide-zone concepts, and new OC Arthur Smith is one of the league’s heaviest wide-zone disciples. Tyler expects Pittsburgh to lean on Smith’s O-line background and ‘run near the goal-line whenever they can,’ noting that the coach historically funnels short-yardage carries to his biggest back (see Derrick Henry in Tennessee and Bijan’s inside-the-five usage last year). Tyler believes Jaylen Warren will lose most green-zone work, projecting Johnson to handle the bulk of plunge attempts while still mixing in on early downs. He called Johnson a “good pick” in Best Ball rooms, worth moderate exposure—even if not a personal flag plant—because the Steelers’ offense should be more competent and Johnson’s path to double-digit touchdowns is clearer than the market realizes.

Best Ball Guy endorsed Caleb Johnson as a cheap rookie running back to target late in drafts. He noted that Johnson landed Day-2 draft capital and is “a perfect fit for the zone rushing scheme that Arthur Smith and the Steelers love to run.” With Smith’s historical commitment to a run-heavy script and frequent two-back rotations, Johnson has a clear path to early season touches behind an aging Najee Harris. The host views Johnson as part of a “generational” RB class and believes some of these backs will smash ADP hard enough to make this price look silly. Given the Steelers’ favorable Week-15 matchup (Washington) that decides advancement in the $1 Dalmatian, Johnson becomes an even more attractive bullet to fire in best-ball tournaments.

NP43 urged drafters to scoop rookie Caleb Johnson as a late-round running back after Pittsburgh hired Arthur Smith. Smith’s offenses historically rank top-3 in rush rate from 12-personnel, and NP43 expects the Steelers to load up on double-tight formations. Johnson’s college résumé screams three-down upside: 240 carries for 1,500 yards and 21 TDs in his junior year at Iowa after averaging 5.0 YPC as a true freshman. Film analysts like Matt Waldman have already labeled him a perfect fit for Pittsburgh’s outside-zone concepts. With the crowd largely enamored with Jaylen Warren, Johnson slides well past ADP, giving managers a cheap path to a 220-touch role if he outplays Najee Harris or forces a committee. NP43 framed him as a priority dart in 2-6-8-2 builds that are light at RB early.

Davis Mattek called Caleb Johnson the most obvious heart-over-head pick on his board, arguing the rookie is a better prospect than most realize. Johnson piled up 1,963 scrimmage yards last season—more than Iowa’s entire passing game—and Mattek still graded him as the RB2 of the class even after a disappointing 4.58 forty. With Arthur Smith “getting his guy” in Pittsburgh, Mattek believes Johnson can immediately supplant Najee Harris and Jalen Warren, projecting a realistic 250-touch rookie season that is nowhere near baked into his current ADP.

Davis Mattek called Caleb Johnson the slam-dunk Round-7 hammer for best-ball drafters still hunting an RB2. The 220-pound Iowa product out-gained the entire Hawkeye passing game in 2024 and still finished second in the FBS with 861 breakaway rushing yards despite a disappointing forty time. Mattek thinks the fit in Pittsburgh is perfect: Arthur Smith’s offense will almost certainly rank 32nd in PROE, Mike Tomlin loves reliable grinders, and the only real competition is 208-pound change-of-pace back Jaylen Warren. With quarterback play likely shaky (Will Howard, Mason Rudolph or a Hail-Mary Rodgers trade), Smith will lean on the run, creating a plausible scenario where Johnson sees 25-plus December carries and spikes in the fantasy playoffs. Mattek compared him to ‘Brian Robinson with juice’ and believes his combination of bell-cow build, breakaway ability, and seventh-round ADP makes him a potential league-winner before summer ADP catches up.

Davis Mattek said Caleb Johnson is the biggest Day-2 winner and should not last past the 6th round of summer drafts. Mattek highlighted Johnson’s 4.42 yards-after-contact average, 56.1% break-away rate and 66 missed tackles at Iowa. He lands in a depth chart featuring only Jaylen Warren after Najee Harris cratered to 4.0 YPC and six TDs on 263 carries last season. Mattek expects Johnson to eclipse Harris’s final-year production immediately and sees three-down potential despite limited college receiving work (22-190-1, 1.29 YPRR on a historically anemic Iowa offense). With Pittsburgh investing third-round capital and showing a renewed run-heavy identity, Mattek views Johnson as a screaming value for both best-ball and season-long formats.