{"id":15880,"date":"2025-05-01T18:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/15880\/"},"modified":"2025-05-01T18:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:35:14","slug":"honey-i-shrunk-derrick-henry-analyst-compares-kaleb-johnson-to-ravens-rb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/15880\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Honey, I Shrunk Derrick Henry:’ Analyst Compares Kaleb Johnson To Ravens RB"},"content":{"rendered":"

This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Najee Harris. While Harris wasn\u2019t the best running back in the league, he was reliable. That goes a long way at the position. Now, they\u2019ve drafted Kaleb Johnson to replace him. Johnson is similar to Harris in some ways,<\/a> being a big, bruising back. However, Yahoo Sports analyst Nate Tice had a different comparison for Johnson, bringing up Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy comparison for him is, \u2018Honey, I shrunk Derrick Henry,’\u201d Tice said Friday on the Yahoo Sports\u2019 YouTube channel.<\/a> \u201cSo, he goes to Arthur Smith, I\u2019m like, okay, there it is. Same running style, a little upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat on zone because he gets north, that\u2019s where the Arian Foster comparison comes from,\u201d Tice added. \u201cGood size, better pass protector now than Derrick Henry has ever been. I am going on record and saying that. Has some hands, too. No wonder Arthur Smith loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is quite the comparison. Henry was one of the best running backs in the league last season and has been dominant for years. After a few down years with the Tennessee Titans, it was unclear how effective Henry could continue to be. However, in his first season with the Baltimore Ravens, he proved he still has a lot of gas left in the tank.<\/p>\n

Johnson does have a slightly similar profile<\/a> to Henry. Tice is correct that Johnson is a little smaller, but that doesn\u2019t take away from his physicality. Johnson does not fear contact. He\u2019s also got decent burst, which is an underrated part of Henry\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Other comparisons Johnson has garnered include Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/a> and Melvin Gordon. Including Henry, those are all great NFL comps. However, it\u2019s important to note that all of this doesn\u2019t mean Johnson will be as good as those players. It just means he has shades of their game.<\/p>\n

Although Tice mentions Henry, fans shouldn\u2019t set their expectations that high. It took Henry a few years to get going in the league, after all. Smith did do a lot to unlock him, though. Henry had some of his best seasons with Smith as his offensive coordinator. Perhaps he\u2019ll be able to do similar things with Johnson.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to like about Johnson. It remains to be seen what role he\u2019ll have in the Steelers\u2019 offense during his rookie year. Smith made it clear that he feels like Johnson makes the team more explosive.<\/a> Hopefully, that\u2019s on display early and often. Pittsburgh would love to have a more explosive offense.<\/p>\n