Iowa Star Predicted to Force Trade, Land With Stunning NFL Team

This Iowa Hawkeyes star is being predicted to land with a shocking team in the NFL Draft that will result in the ballclub trading one of its best players just to make room for him.

Oct 26, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) looks on during the first quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson was one of the most explosive players in college football this past season, and now, he will be taking his talents to the NFL.

Johnson is widely expected to be a Day 2 pick in the NFL Draft later this month, and while there are a handful of teams that seem like natural fits, one very intriguing ballclub may emerge as a potential suitor for the superstar: the Buffalo Bills.

John Helmkamp of A to Z Sports is predicting the Bills to make a stunning move in a few weeks, projecting that they will trade Pro Bowl halfback James Cook and then select Johnson in the second round of the draft.

"I have the Bills moving on from James Cook. Put down the pitch forks — I love Cook, but [Brandon] Beane doesn't seem anywhere close to meeting his financial wants, so much so that he said they don't expect to get a deal done this year," Helmkamp wrote. "If they're going to move on, getting a powerful zone runner that can make people miss and break the long run wouldn't be a bad way to go."

Cook has been angling for a new contract, but given how important he has been to Buffalo, it would certainly be jarring to see the Bills make such a bold move.

However, Johnson definitely seems like a tantalizing replacement, as he racked up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns during his final season at Iowa, leading the Big Ten in both categories. He also set the Hawkeyes' single-season record in the latter department.

Buffalo is not on anyone's radar as a potential landing spot for Johnson, but there actually may be a world in which the Bills try to make this happen.

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