The Las Vegas Raiders already have a lead running back on the roster in last year’s first-round pick, Ashton Jeanty. However, the Raiders could use someone to take some of the load off Jeanty’s shoulders, and head coach Klint Kubiak said the club will be looking for a second ball carrier in the backfield this offseason. That should put Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson on Las Vegas’ radar heading into the 2026 NFL draft.
As of March 30, Johnson is listed as the 108th overall prospect in the class and has a fourth-round projection on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, putting him in range for the Raiders at pick No. 102. That’s due in part to the fact that he is coming off a fantastic season, where he ranked fourth among FBS running backs with 1,450 rushing yards, while averaging 5.8 yards per carry and scoring 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Additionally, he was one of the best chain movers in College Football, finishing tied for sixth at the position with 78 first-down runs, and showed off some big-play ability with 13 “breakaway” runs (15 or more yards), according to Pro Football Focus. On top of his work on the ground, the former Cornhusker caught more passes than any other running back (46) and tied for 10th in receiving yards (370).
Now that we have the numbers, let’s flip on the tape and see what the Nebraska product could bring to the Silver and Black.
One of the first aspects of Johnson’s game that stands out on film is his vision. He’s able to read defenses and make quick decisions to find rushing lanes that are hard for a lot of other running backs to see, or at least attack as quickly as he does.
In the clip above, Nebraska runs duo with the slot receiver motioning across the formation. Iowa responds by having its linebackers follow the motion, shifting toward the offense’s strength. That gives the defense a defender in each of the playside gaps, taking away all of the rushing lanes where the offensive play call is designed to hit.
However, Johnson recognizes that the weakside backer (No. 12) crosses the center’s face, while the 2-technique defensive tackle (No. 95) takes on the double team in the A-gap, and the defensive end (No. 44) has outside leverage on the right tackle to contain the edge. So, the backside B-gap is open.
But the running back doesn’t just b-line to where he wants to go. Instead, he presses the line of scrimmage to get the defense to continue to flow to the playside, using his peripheral vision to see that the cutback lane is open. After setting up the defense, Johnson uses his impressive lateral movement skills to cut into the B-gap and pick up a chunk gain on the ground to put the offense ahead of the sticks.
This next clip is similar to the last one, in that the former Cornhusker finds and exploits the backside cutback lane on duo. But we also get an example of one of his breakaway runs.
The read is a lot simpler on this one since the Hawkeyes blitz their strong-side linebacker (No. 43) while the defensive end slants (No. 48) into the B-gap to get some penetration and take away the playside rushing lanes. Johnson presses the line of scrimmage as much as he can, but this rep is more about his agility, using a jump cut to get to the backside.
Then, his vision and ability to set up the defense come into play. Originally, he looks to hit the backside B-gap, but the other defensive end (No. 49) works across the left tackle’s face to fill the lane. So, the running back bounces it outside and has enough speed to beat the defense on the perimeter for about a 25-yard run.
Johnson doesn’t have earth-shattering speed by any means, running a 4.56-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. However, he does have good burst and enough pace to beat defenders to the corner, combined with his vision and ability to set up a defense.
Here, we’re going to see a very similar clip to the last one. The biggest differences are that the play call is inside zone instead of duo, and Johnson exploits a playside rushing lane instead of cutting backside.
But again, he presses the line of scrimmage, and watch what that does to the strong-side linebacker (No. 6). That gets the backer to take one step inside, which is all Johnson needs to bounce outside and win around the perimeter. This is a great example of setting up a linebacker to move the chains.
What makes the first-team All-American’s vision even better is that it extends beyond the first level of the defense, as he’s good at reading second-level defenders, too. That’s a big part of how he was able to record the breakaway runs mentioned above. Granted, this run falls just short of the 15-yard threshold to fall into that category, but it is a good example of his ability to exploit a rushing lane further down the field than what we’ve seen previously.
Nebraska runs an influence WHAM concept, where they trap block UCLA’s two defensive tackles with the left guard and tight end, while the center works up to the second level and the left tackle kicks out the defensive end on the playside. Also, the wide receiver crack blocks the nickelback in the box.
Meanwhile, Johnson presses the outside once he gets the handoff, which keeps the defensive end outside instead of working across the left tackle’s face and helps set up the crack block by drawing the nickel wide. With a great block from the wide receiver, the running back cuts up the field and runs right through the second-level rushing lane between the wideout and left tackle.
That sets up another chain-moving run and puts the offense in scoring position.
You may have noticed this is in a few of the examples above; Johnson’s jump cuts are another part of his game that really stands out.
That’s on display here, as Nebraska runs inside zone. The offensive line does a great job of getting push up the middle, but there isn’t a clear and obvious rushing lane to exploit. Maybe Johnson can get up the field and run between the center and left tackle on the second level, but No. 28 does get inside leverage on the left tackle to muddy the look a bit.
Instead, the back just jump cuts his way through the defense, showcasing how much ground he can cover laterally to pick up the first down and a nine-yard gain on the ground.
While he doesn’t force a missed tackle on this play specifically, Johnson’s strong lateral movement skills are a big reason why he’s good at making defenders miss. Last season, he finished sixth among FBS running backs with 68 missed tackles forced on the ground, per PFF.
As a receiver, the former Cornhusker doesn’t have an extensive route tree, but he does have good hands and is dynamic after the catch to make an impact in the screen game.
Nebraska calls his number with a simple halfback screen here. The pass is a little high, but that’s where Johnson’s strong hands come in as he plucks it out of the air. For the record, PFF only had him on the hook for one drop on 54 targets last season and just two on 105 throughout his college career.
Then, the running back’s vision, ability to make defenders miss and create an explosive play come in. The offense has the defense blocked up pretty well, allowing Johnson to go untouched for about 20 yards. However, there’s a free defender around the 35-yard line. So he attacks the defender’s leverage to create some space near the sideline, cuts back outside to force the missed tackle, and goes up the sideline to finish the play with a score.
The most significant question mark surrounding Johnson’s transition to the next level is whether he can hold up in pass protection. That was the biggest flaw in his game that I noticed, and it doesn’t help that he recorded a 42.6 PFF pass blocking grade this past season, which was a career high. But if Las Vegas’ brass can look past that, the club should have him circled as a candidate to round out its backfield.
Especially if Johnson is availabe on Day 3 of the draft, he’s a great option for the Raiders to complement Jeanty. The Nebraska product’s vision and agility make him a great fit in a zone-heavy scheme like Kubiak’s. While there were no outside zone reps above, Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson noted that the former Cornhusker “executes inside zone, outside zone, and duo run concepts well”, to help ease any potential concerns in that department.
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