Iowa Hawkeyes Star Gets New NFL Comparison Before Draft

Iowa Hawkeyes star running back Kaleb Johnson has received a new comparison before the NFL Draft.

Oct 26, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs for a 26 yard touchdown against Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Braden Turner (9) during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Kaleb Johnson may have wrapped up his playing career with the Iowa Hawkeyes' football program, but he will foever be part of it. No one is going to forget Johnson after the special season that he put together in 2024.

After entering the season as a good player with high upside, Johnson is leaving as a superstar and will take his talents to the NFL in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Throughout the course of his final season at Iowa, Johnson ended up carrying the football 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two more scores.

Those numbers made him one of the best running backs in the nation. There is a very real chance that he could be the second running back drafted this year behind Ashton Jeanty.

With that being said, a new NFL comparison has dropped for Johnson ahead of the draft process.

Bleacher Report took a look at him and compared him to current Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. With the kind of success that Conner has had at the NFL level, this is a quality comparison for the Hawkeyes' star.

Not only did they compare him to Conner, they also projected him to be a second-round pick and gave him a 7.6 grade, which puts him in the "Potential Impact Player" category as a prospect.

All of those things are good for Johnson's future. There is a very good chance that he will develop into being a starter and potentially even a workhorse back at the next level.

Of course, as is the case with every other former Iowa player who heads on to the NFL, the Hawkeyes' faithful will continue rooting him on.

Hopefully, Johnson ends up landing in an ideal situation where he can get playing time off the jump. He is more than capable of handling a role on the field in his rookie season.

Only time will tell, but everything is trending in the right direction for Johnson.