When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, many saw it as a steal. He’s the player who led the BIG Ten in rushing yards, rushing scores, and overall touchdowns from scrimmage. Hailing from the University of Iowa, he looks pretty perfect in the Steelers’ colors as well.
On top of all of that, Johnson is already becoming familiar with some of his team’s biggest rivals. All of them, of course, are in the AFC North division. The Ravens and Steelers have had a hated rivalry spanning decades, and the same goes with them and the Browns.
However, no opponent caught Johnson’s eye more than the team’s other long-time opponent.
“When you got the schedule, what’s the first thing you looked at?” Adams asked on her show.
“Cincinnati,” Johnson responded.
The response confused Adams as she thought he would point out an earlier matchup. The Steelers don’t play the Bengals until Week 8, so why was he so eager to beat them, of all people?
It’s simple, really. It’s partly because Johnson is from Cincinnati. But he also wants to ingratiate himself into the rivalry.
“My main opponent that I want to beat is Cincinnati. That’s where I’m from… On the field, they’re the enemies. They’re the ops,” Johnson shared.
Steelers fans are probably happy to hear that their third-round guy won’t be taking it easy on his hometown team anytime soon. In fact, Johnson sounds like he wants to demolish the Bengals when he first plays against them.
Johnson’s NFL experience so far
There’s so much that goes on now for NFL rookies. Between media sessions, minicamps, photo appearances, and more, things can become overwhelming for a first-year player nowadays. That’s why Johnson took the time to unpack how everything has been going so far in his short time wearing the black and yellow.
“It means a lot. Just having this logo and representing a good organization like them… I feel it means a lot to be a Steeler. From going back in the past, who have been here like Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown. All of them guys represent the Steelers really well, and I’m trying to be the next up,” Johnson said.
It’s certainly one of the most decorated and legendary franchises in the history of the league. The Steelers were founded as far back as 1933. They’ve sported the same logo since 1969. It’s an iconic badge of honor that players wear proudly.
Johnson also shared that his locker is next to one of the coolest guys to be by.
“My locker is actually right next to DK Metcalf’s, so it’s awesome.”
All in all, it sounds like Johnson is having a great time in the Steel City, as well as in the NFL. The Steelers have a knack for drafting players with good personalities who have their heads on straight. That seems to be the case here with Johnson as well.
We probably won’t see him starting this year, but the Iowa product could push for the job at some point. Jaylen Warren didn’t show that he deserves to be the outright RB1 with his performance last season. Najee Harris regularly received touches over him without ever showcasing anything eye-popping on the field. It’ll be interesting to see if Johnson eats into his touches this time around.
