2025 Chicago Bears Draft Target: Kaleb Johnson

Jeffrey Becker - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 1 day ago

When the Bears fired Matt Eberflus midseason and moved on from Thomas Brown after week 18, the goal was for them to find not only a new head coach but one who is considered an offensive mastermind. Not only did Ryan Poles accomplish his goal, but he also landed Ben Johnson on a lucrative five-year contract that will pay him 13 million per season.

That is a lot of money to invest in a first-year head coach, but considering what he has accomplished, especially in the past few seasons in Detroit, it's well worth the risk. Johnson is not only an offensive mastermind but is considered one of the best, if not the best, offensive coaches in the game.

There is a reason the Lions' offense was as good as it was the past two seasons, and Johnson and his overall game plans contributed to that. Looking to carry over that success in Chicago, Johnson has a vision of what he wants this offense to look like, but he also knows the work ahead of him.

The Bears must improve up front for their offense to meet his standards, which will be their primary goal in free agency. If their offensive line continues to play poorly, it won't matter how many weapons this team has, as they can't move the ball without protection. Heading into the 2025 NFL offseason, it's clear that the Bears have the weapons to help Caleb Williams succeed, but now it's about taking that offense to the next level.

A good way to do that is to get more depth across the board, which includes the running back position. After trading away Khalil Herbert midseason and watching Roschon Johnson offer next to nothing as his replacement, the Bears were stuck riding D'Andre Swift, who, although he had a decent year, didn't perform the way, this team hoped he would.

Johnson has worked with Swift since their days in Detroit, so you wonder if he will design a game plan to help him return to the level the Bears expected him to be. For that to happen, Chicago needs more production from its backup backs, where the draft could come in handy.

While Ashton Jeanty is the cream of the crop regarding running backs, several other options could be had in the middle rounds for this team, including Iowa standout Kaleb Johnson, who would be the perfect addition to this team in round two or three. The 6-0, 225 bruising back has been a staple in the Hawkeyes backfield the past three seasons, but it wasn't until 2024 that he had the opportunity to show what he can do.

After rushing for just over 1200 yards and nine scores his first two seasons, Johnson blew the doors off those numbers in 2024 as he led the Hawkeyes with 1537 yards on the ground and 21 scores. He did that while also picking up 188 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and he has proven to be able to do a little of everything on offense.

A bit undervalued, Johnson is drawing comparisons to Tyler Allgeier, and his speed and physicality combination is something this team lacked in the backfield and would benefit from. Knowing how much success Johnson had with the David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs backfield in Detroit, don't put it past the Bears to draft a running back to help him create something similar in the Windy City.

While built more like a bruising back who isn't afraid of contact, Johnson offers much more than that, as he is more of a finesse back than most think. Sure, he has no problem lowering the shoulder to take the hit, but he is also patient enough to let his blockers set things up and isn't overly aggressive when hitting the hole.

Although his lack of creativity when he runs isn't ideal, given his overall skillset and what he brings to the table, Johnson has the potential to be the go-to back in Chicago. However, he would benefit from a two-back system early in his career. Even with all the good he brings to the table, you have to look at some of the bad, with the most significant concern being his acceleration.

Despite being a big-play threat capable of ripping off long runs, Johnson lacks a lot of acceleration, which could make it difficult for him to pop a long run in the NFL. Although built to take on contact, Johnson doesn't use his size to his advantage and often tries to avoid contact more than take the hit. That alone makes him a liability in short-yardage situations at this point in his career, as he will have to learn to adjust to the speed and physicality of the NFL.