During the 2026 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs focused on defense in the early rounds, but the front office also took some fliers on offensive talent in the back half of the draft, including a fifth-round trade up to select running back Emmett Johnson with the 161st pick.
Johnson was the sixth back off the board among 12 taken at his position overall. That’s not usually where a featured back is chosen on draft weekend, but the former Nebraska Cornhusker, if developed properly, has the tools to become
a high-impact playmaker for the Chiefs’ offense.
Athletic testing
Johnson entered the pre-draft process as a First Team All-American after totaling the fourth-most rushing yards in the FBS (1,450) with 12 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry in 2025. So his resume is certainly not what hurt his draft stock.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson posted mediocre testing numbers, which seems to be the key factor to his “fall” down the draft board. At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 202 pounds, none of his speed, explosion or agility test results stood out as notably impressive.
One of the best things that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has done in his tenure is find talent on Day 3 of the draft, and he might have done so again with Johnson.
A look at the film
Johnson does not have the breakaway speed of elite big-play running backs like Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, but he used good vision and anticipation to create explosive plays.
The pin-and-pull concept that Nebrasaka runs here is designed to hit between the pulling guard and pulling center, and this is where the high safety flows. As the safety flows downhill, Johnson reads this and quickly cuts to the outside. From moving to fill, the safety is out of position, and Johnson flies by him for an explosive play.
Toward the end of the play, Johnson shows off his quickness and ability to make lateral cuts. This is a major aspect of his game.
Johnson uses a good mix of balance and quickness to avoid tacklers, slip through small gaps, and shift his way for extra yards.
Johnson recorded 370 receiving yards and three touchdowns during his final season in Lincoln as well. He was not a downfield threat, but he was a natural in the screen game.
The screen is not well blocked up front, and the middle linebacker has a free shot, but Johnson skillfully jukes his way out of danger, while effortlessly finding a seam in the defense.
Johnson’s ability to cut and find running lanes is why many believed he had the potential to be a Day 2 draft selection, and it made it difficult for defenders to get a bead on him.
On the Y-counter, Johnson thinks about taking it between the kickout block and the double team, but he recognizes the flowing overhang players, sells the inside, then jukes to the outside, and follows the tight end for a nice gain.
The patience to let the plays materialize was one of the greatest assets of Johnson’s game, showing an instinctive player capable of turning moderate gains into big plays.
Johnson also showed that he could find a way to turn nothing into something on more than one occasion.
Even when plays were poorly blocked, Johnson had the quickness and shiftiness to get away from defenders and fight to find a way back to the line of scrimmage. With instant penetration through the right b-gap and little movement, Johnson tries to cut his way back to the line, but is cut off.
Instead of burying his head, he stays active and dances laterally down the line of scrimmage, and nearly finds a way to break into the endzone if not for an ankle tackle.
An instinctive runner, Johnson sees every aspect of the field and plays the game with a high football IQ.
Late in the game, Nebraska put the ball in his hands to ice the game. On the snap, the Cornhuskers run a duo-type look against a stacked box, asking for double-team blocks at the points of attack. With a linebacker ready and waiting, Johnson quickly cuts and bounces the run to the outside. Once he crosses the line to gain, he quickly drops down and gives himself up, avoiding a hit and sealing the victory for his team.
The bottom line
Johnson has the skill set to be an asset to Kansas City in the short and long term.
Kenneth Walker is set to be the Chiefs’ lead back for the next four seasons, but a back like Johnson, who relies on shifty play and quickness to make plays, could be an excellent changeup to a back like Walker.
Johnson might not play a ton out of the gate, but with enough sprinkling in over the course of the season, he should be ready to be the full-time running back two by his second season in the NFL.
Johnson has the potential to be a home run pick, and behind Walker, there will be very little early pressure on him to produce, giving him the time he needs to develop and learn the Chiefs’ scheme.
If the carryover is there from college to the pros, then the Chiefs could have a potent running back duo for the foreseeable future.
