Perfect RB for Broncos and Sean Payton could not be more obvious

The running back class in the 2025 NFL Draft is filled with talent and loaded. Don’t take my word for it, Broncos GM George Paton said the same thing. 

“It’s a strong class,” he said (via Broncos PR)

The Broncos are in the business of acquiring a running back or two due to the horrid run game they had this past season.

“We’ll get a back in this draft.”

Paton has guaranteed Broncos Country that there will be a new ball carrier for Denver, but it won’t be any original running back. He’s looking for a three-down back, and there’s one that Sean Payton and the Broncos would love to have on day two of the draft.

Kaleb Johnson would change the dynamic of the Broncos offense 

At six feet and 220 pounds, Kaleb Johnson is the prototypical running back a coach would want for their team. 

The Broncos had a top-30 visit with Johnson (via his Instagram story) on April 2nd, and that is a great start, knowing Denver is doing their due diligence on arguably one of the best running backs in the class. With the Broncos having the fewest rushes of 20+ yards from running backs this past season, Johnson would immediately fix that on day one. 

The first thing that stands out about the stud running back is his excellent north-to-south running ability. Everyone who talks about him or evaluates him says the same thing. Iowa is notoriously known for not having a passing game, making opposing defenses stack the box and stop the only way of them moving the ball: stopping the run.

A lot of college teams failed at doing so. 

Johnson recorded 240 carries for 1,535 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Despite going against 7+ man boxes, he still managed to produce at an extremely high level and have 6.4 yards per attempt.

The Iowa RB ranked fourth in yards after contact in all of college football with 1,060 yards and ranked third in breakaway runs (15+ yards) with 28. And while carrying the offense of Iowa and doing all of this, Johnson did not fumble once.

That is impressive.

As some say, Johnson does possess “big play speed” and has incredibly light feet for someone his size. His cuts to find the open lanes are good and utilizes his transition from speed to power to his advantage. He forced 66 missed tackles at Iowa this past season, which ranked him tied at sixth in all of college football. 

His pass blocking as a running back can be improved, but under Sean Payton and the Broncos coaching staff, that’ll get fixed with their teachings and reps. 

I’ve seen comparisons from Breece Hall to Todd Gurley when talking about Johnson, and when you think about it, it’s pretty spot on from that point of view.