Steelers rookie RB Kaleb Johnson will get chance to show off blocking skills in backs on backers drill

Kaleb Johnson seemingly has done and said all the right things in the three months since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The second player the Steelers drafted in April, the 21-year-old running back has impressed off the field with his work ethic, demeanor and willingness to learn. During drills, he has flashed deceptive quickness and the ability to pull away in the open field.

“We’ve seen his skillset,” veteran running back Jaylen Warren said of Johnson. “He’s got it all.”

Johnson’s showings in organized team activities, minicamp and first weekend of training camp have bolstered expectations for his rookie season. But for all the talents Johnson has exhibited, Tuesday at Saint Vincent could provide the most pivotal moment yet for a promising career still in its infancy.

It’s a day — this camp’s first practice in pads — that Johnson has looked forward to since before he even set foot on a field upon joining the Steelers as a third-round pick.

Backs on backers.

Annually among the most anticipated drills of camp, Johnson is eager to follow in the footsteps of Warren in showing his physical edge and blocking prowess.

“That’s the first thing I saw on Twitter was Jaylen taking one of the linebackers out, and it was ‘hype,’ ” Johnson said. “So I also really want to show people what I can do and show people that I’ve been working on pass protection and that I’m really ready to get better every day.”

Johnson enters the NFL with a resume of college production: second-team all-America after 1,537 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

He enters the league with good size: 6-foot-1, 224 pounds.

He has been durable, and judging by his long runs — and some catches out of the backfield — during the first two practices of training camp, Johnson already is displaying “varsity” skills.

But among the unknowns is his ability to block oncoming blitzers.

“That’s the main thing I’m focusing on right now,” Johnson said of pass protection. “Everything else falls into place, but my main thing is pass protection, and I’m working at that every day.”

Until the preseason games start in two weeks, there’s no better tangible way for Johnson to exhibit his improved blocking skills than in backs on backers.

“I’ve heard it’s a big thing,” Johnson said of the drill that unfailingly features Tomlin presiding over it and typically draws ooohs and ahhs from the fans at Chuck Noll Field.

“I’m working every day to get better and get to that (pass-pro) role, so they can trust me and I can be reliable.”

Johnson has a willing mentor in Warren, who has performed the Steelers’ third-down back duties the past two seasons. Warren, by one measure, has performed pass protection too well: He is a repeat offender of blocking by leading with his helmet, an action that, all too often, has elicited fines from the league office.

Although Johnson rarely was asked to pass block in Iowa’s run-heavy offense — of which he was the featured piece — with the Steelers, he is joined by two of the NFL’s most prominent third-down backs of recent vintage: Super Bowl-winning former Philadelphia Eagle Kenneth Gainwell and Warren.

Warren said he already has coached Johnson on how to succeed in Tuesday’s marquee drill in particular but in pass protection overall.

“I’m not going to get into all the fundamentals, but I tell him, ‘Just do your thing,’ ” Warren said. “Obviously, he’s been working on his little things. As far as the fundamentals, we’re gonna work at that every day. And so I’m excited to see him in backs on backers.

“The best thing about (Johnson) is his attitude,” Warren said moments earlier. “He comes in ready to work every day. … He’s still looking for that winning edge to get better.”

With four-year starting running back Najee Harris having departed in free agency and Warren and Gainwell on expiring contracts, Johnson is the best bet for the Steelers’ back of the future. But if he ever has designs on being an every-down back, he must earn the trust of the Steelers’ quarterbacks and, by extension, the coaches.

The first step comes Tuesday at practice.

“The details matter. The little things matter,” Johnson said when asked to describe the lessons he already has learned from veteran teammates. “Just go in here and learn every little detail that you need to know to be that first-, second-, and third-down back.”