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Kaleb Johnson Patterns Game After Former Steelers Star
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- Kaleb Johnson Patterns Game After Former Steelers Star
From Steelers Now :
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Athletics
Le'Veon Bell's patience as a rusher with the Pittsburgh Steelers was something to marvel. Taking a handoff, he would bide his time behind his linemen, peeking past them and waiting for a hole to shoot through. Now-former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson , the Steelers' 2025 NFL Draft third-round pick on Friday, tries to carry the ball with a similar sort of pause.
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Speaking to the media over a conference call after being taken No. 83 overall, Johnson touched upon the resemblance.
"Yes, I do," Johnson said when asked if he models his game after Bell. "And I, you know, I always would see him. I just saw him earlier streaming me and talking we had a conversation, and it was a magical moment. It just speaks into existence — it speaks for itself. So, you know, I'm ready to work. So, let's do it."
Like Bell, Johnson is an Ohio native who played at a Big 10 school. Johnson's 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine was slightly faster than Bell's 4.6. Bell was selected a round earlier in the 2013 NFL Draft.
FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) carries the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. A person with direct knowledge of the negotiations says the New York Jets and Bell have agreed to a deal early Wednesday morning, Mach 13, 2019, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The deal gives new coach Adam Gase and second-year quarterback Sam Darnold a big-time playmaker, arguably the best player at his position before Bell opted to sit out all of last season rather than sign a franchise tender with Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)
"Johnson is built like a bruiser, but his style is more finesse, preferring to win with tempo and decisiveness," NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in a scouting report. "He keeps his runs on time and on track while allowing blockers to do their job."
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Kaleb Johnson rumbled for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 totes. He went for 6.4 yards per give and ranked eighth in the country with 1,725 all-purpose yards.
Over five seasons with the Steelers from 2013-17, Bell rushed for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns on 1,229 carries. He sat out the 2018 go-round due to a contract dispute, then played for the New York Jets , Kansas City Chiefs , Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the next three campaigns.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Kaleb Johnson Patterns Game After Former Steelers Star
