39. Kaleb Johnson RB Iowa
The Raiders and much of the NFL have learned their lesson that running backs do indeed matter. Josh Jacobs is thriving in Green Bay, Derrick Henry was revitalized in Baltimore, and Saquon Barkley is making history in Philadelphia while the Raiders have had a revolving door at the position with four different starters this year.
This lack of talent at the position leads the Raiders to use the 39th overall pick on Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson who burst on the scene with an incredible 2024 season. The Ohio native was a part-time player for the Hawkeyes in 2022 and 2023 but won the starting job this year and ran for an incredible 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on just 240 carries. He added an additional 188 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 receptions.
Johnson measures in at a prototypical 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds and his last recorded 40 time was a solid 4.50. He has great vision and burst and shows great patience when setting up blocks and reading defenses. This is the type of workhorse back that the Raiders had in Josh Jacobs and it’s time they went back to the deep talent well in college football to get their next franchise running back.