Iowa RB Prospect Leaks Meeting with Broncos

The Denver Broncos are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to upgrade the running back position.

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs for a 17-yard touchdown run during the second quarter against the Washington Huskies at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos' need for a running back is obvious, even as Sean Payton asserts that he wants to see what his current guys can bring. Throughout the NFL draft process, it's been clear that the Broncos are looking hard at the position with how many different players they have met with. 

The latest appears to be Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, who met with the Broncos on Wednesday, which we learned after he posted a picture of himself on Instagram at the team facilities. As things stand, Johnson is projected as a second-round pick and could be an option for the Broncos with their 51st overall selection or even with the possibility of trading up. 

Kaleb Johnson is visiting the Broncos pic.twitter.com/XK34Rg3y0g

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 2, 2025

Playing at Iowa, many paint Johnson as an outside-zone-scheme-runner only, as that was Iowa's running game for years. However, in 2024, Kirk Ferentz made some changes to his offensive staff, and with it came some changes to the run scheme.

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The outside zone became more inside and mid-zone concepts, which makes it easier to project Johnson in the rushing schemes Payton loves to run. Johnson was stuck as the backup for the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Iowa, where he had 268 total rushes for 1,242 yards and nine touchdowns, but in 2024, he carried the ball 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns as the lone bright spot for the Hawkeye offense. 

However, there is a big concern about Johnson as a receiver. In his three seasons combined, he had 29 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns, though 22 catches for 188 yards and both touchdowns came in 2024. Throughout the draft process, starting at the NFL Scouting Combine, he has shown more as a receiver than you see on tape, and the lack of production was largely due to the Hawkeye offense. 

While many Broncos fans want the team to find more of a receiving back, if their visits are any indicator, they are looking to upgrade the power runner back — the Mark Ingram archetype — to be clear. This could indicate what the Broncos think about Audric Estime, their fifth-round pick in 2024, and his future with the team. 

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