The Pittsburgh Steelers finished their draft over the weekend by adding ten new rookies to their roster. The focus will now shift to the rookie mini camp and how quickly those players can get up to speed.
For former third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, the draft couldn’t have gone any worse.
To round out the draft, the Steelers took an intriguing offensive weapon in Eli Heidenreich. The Navy running back did it all in school and excelled as both a runner and a receiver. He also tested as a great athlete, so there is something to work with there.
Johnson was already on shaky ground before the draft. Now, it seems like his odds of making the team have taken yet another blow.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may already be done with Kaleb Johnson
Am I ready to crown Heidenreich as the next great Steelers running back? Absolutely not, but he provides a different type of weapon for that room. Add in his return ability and potential to play on coverage units, and Heidenreich could end up wearing a lot of hats.
When you are the third or fourth running back on the depth chart, you need that kind of versatility. What you can’t be is just a pure runner with limited receiving and special teams ability.
Sound familiar?
While Johnson had a strong collegiate career, he doesn’t have a lot of versatility in his game. We saw his special teams ability last year (or lack thereof), and he was never a great receiver in school. His first year in the pros didn’t see any improvements there.
With Travis Homer brought in to play on special teams, it feels likely that the team carries four backs total. Heidenreich may offer more versatility and could win that final spot.
While his main path to the team would be on special teams, his receiving ability has to be noted on offense. We saw Kenneth Gainwell thrive as a receiver last year. Heidenreich could help replace some of his production.
Given the makeup of the room, it feels like Johnson needs to either dominate as a runner or flash a lot more versatility to lock up his roster spot. If he doesn’t do either, then he offers this team little value.
Heidenreich needs to prove a lot before he earns a roster spot. However, his versatility makes him an intriguing option to take Johnson’s spot. It is certainly a battle worth watching in training camp.
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