It has been somewhat surprising how much attention the Pittsburgh Steelers have given to the running back position this offseason. Pittsburgh has James Conner and Jaylen Samuels on the roster but have been looking closely at several different running backs as potential draft picks. But Pittsburgh might be able to get the physical, change-of-pace back they want without using a draft pick at all by signing free agent D’ernest Johnson.
Johnson played his college ball at USF and finished as the school’s leader in all-purpose yardage. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints but found himself without a team with the Orlando Apollos of the AAF came calling.
Unfortunately, the league wasn’t able to sustain itself but we did get another look at just how good Johnson can be. He rushed for 372 yards on only 64 carries for a 5.8-yard average. He also chipped in 22 receptions for 220 more yards of offense.
AAF highlights were scarce but here’s a look at Johnson from his days at USF.
If the Steelers could bring him in, it would allow them to package more of those later picks if they want to move up for impact players on the first two days of the draft.
