May 22, 2026, 10:52 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs selected running back Emmett Johnson in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. While not the fastest back, the 22-year-old has made a productive living thus far thanks to three quality traits. Those traits are elite vision, lateral agility, and pure efficiency. Running backs don't accidentally amass 1,451 rushing yards (5.8 per carry) and 370 receiving yards (46 receptions) in the Big Ten. Johnson is one of three backs in this year's draft class to force a missed tackle rate greater than 0.30 on 150-plus touches, which is impressive considering the strength of competition he had faced. More impressive yet, only 8.4% of Johnson's rushing attempts failed to gain positive yards. His rushing ability reminds some of Bucky Irving. At the same time, his receiving profile resembles Kenneth Walker III, who caught 87% of his intended targets and averaged 1.14 yards per route run over his collegiate career. Walker is hoping that Johnson doesn't factor into his touches in Kansas City's backfield the way Zach Charbonnet did in Seattle. If Walker were to miss time, the fifth-round rookie has everything the Chiefs need to keep the offense running at a high level. However, Johnson is competing with Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado for the backup role to Walker, making him at best a late-round flyer and dynasty stash heading into fantasy football draft season.--Matt Donnelly