{"id":264130,"date":"2026-01-30T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=264130"},"modified":"2026-01-30T09:40:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:40:32","slug":"emmett-johnson-2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/30\/emmett-johnson-2026-nfl-draft-scouting-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Emmett Johnson 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nebraska has been building towards a return to national prominence under Matt Rhule<\/a>. The Cornhuskers started 5-1 in 2025 but stumbled to a 7-6 record, capped by a loss to Utah<\/a> in the Las Vegas Bowl<\/a>. The most significant bright spot for the Cornhuskers this season was running back Emmett Johnson. Johnson broke out as one of the best running backs in college football in 2025. His production skyrocketed him up draft boards, and he’s among the top prospects at the position in the 2026 NFL Draft. How did Johnson put the nation on notice, and how does his game translate to the next level?<\/p>\n

2026 NFL Draft: Emmett Johnson Scouting Report<\/h2>\n

Measurables<\/h3>\n

Height- 5-foot-11<\/p>\n

Weight- 200 pounds<\/p>\n

More NFL Draft Profiles<\/a><\/p>\n

Background<\/h3>\n

Johnson was a three-star recruit coming out of Academy of Holy Angels (Minnesota) and the 85th-ranked running back in the Class of 2022<\/a>. He committed to Nebraska and redshirted the 2022 season, appearing in four games on special teams. Johnson flashed potential in his first season of action in 2023, rushing for 411 yards and two touchdowns on 90 carries while also catching two touchdowns. He improved upon his redshirt freshman campaign in 2024, with 117 carries for 598 yards and a touchdown. His abilities as a receiver were also on display, racking up 39 catches for 286 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The glimpses shown in Johnson’s first two seasons were fully recognized in 2025. He led the Big Ten<\/a> with 251 attempts and 1,451 rushing yards with 12 rushing touchdowns<\/a> on the year. His production as a pass catcher remained steady with 46 receptions for 370 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson opted out of the bowl game and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Strengths<\/h3>\n

There aren’t many running backs who have the vision of Johnson. His ability to read rushing lanes and find open space is incredible. He combines his vision with great agility, making quick cuts to change direction. Johnson is a shifty runner who is difficult to tackle in an open field. He has proven production catching the ball out of the backfield, with over 700 receiving yards over the past three seasons. Johnson also has experience in both zone and gap schemes at Nebraska, meaning he should be able to fit in any scheme.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/h3>\n

While Johnson’s speed is good, he isn’t a true burner, which limits his explosiveness. He struggles in pass protection, giving up two sacks in 2025. His frame is also on the smaller side for a running back, measuring 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds. Johnson’s contact balance is another concern, as he struggled to gain yards after contact.<\/p>\n

Overview<\/h3>\n

Johnson is an intriguing prospect to evaluate. His combination of vision and shiftiness is remarkable, and he can make plays as a receiver out of the backfield. The limitations in pass blocking likely mean he won’t be an every-down player at the next level. Johnson’s lack of top-end speed gives him a ceiling, but his instincts should translate into any offense he winds up in. He is an excellent complementary option in a running back room. The 2026 running back class is very murky after Jeremiyah Love<\/a>, with several players making a case as the second-best available. Johnson is in that discussion and projects as either a third or fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emmett Johnson burst onto the scene in 2025 with Nebraska. How does he stack up among the top running backs in the 2026 NFL Draft?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5581,"featured_media":264142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760,1],"tags":[34093,33664],"class_list":["post-264130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","category-uncategorized","tag-emmett-johnson","tag-jeremiyah-love"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264130"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":264140,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264130\/revisions\/264140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}