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.

Jakob Sanderson said he is smashing the draft button on Caleb Johnson any time the rookie is on the board next to Quinshon Judkins. Sanderson expects Arthur Smith to make good on his promise of roughly 1,100 offensive snaps with "half of them runs," projecting a minimum 550 rushing attempts for Pittsburgh. He anticipates Johnson walking into a 50-percent snap share right out of the gate—despite the presence of Jalen Warren—because the third-rounder fits the early-down hammer role Pittsburgh covets. By contrast, Sanderson worries Cleveland will abandon the run early in games and could devolve into a three-man committee with Jerome Ford handling most pass-downs and fourth-round rookie Samson eating a series or two. Given Johnson graded higher than Judkins in his pre-draft talent evaluations, Sanderson says the Steeler offers both a safer weekly floor and more realistic 20-touch upside, making him the auto-pick in that sixth-round ADP pocket.

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.