Iowa Hawkeyes Star Linked To Dallas Cowboys

Could the Dallas Cowboys land this Iowa Hawkeyes star in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson (2) carries the ball to the endzone against Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson has established himself as one of the most explosive weapons in college football this season and is now surging up NFL Draft boards.

While the running back position has largely been marginalized on the professional level, it's still important for an offense to function at an elite level.

Just ask the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys largely ignored their backfield during the offseason and are now suffering the consequences, which is why they have been named a top fit for Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft, via Ryan Gosling of Pro Football Network.

Dallas ranks last in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging just 74.1 yards on the ground per game. Not so coincidentally, the Cowboys are logging a pedestrian 21.4 points per game.

Enter Johnson, who has emerged from relative obscurity in 2024.

The Iowa star has racked up 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns while posting a robust 7.8 yards per carry this season. Most recently, he carried the ball 14 times for 109 yards during the Hawkeyes' win over the Northwestern Wildcats.

Johnson arrived at Iowa in 2022 and had a decent freshman campaign, registering 779 yards and six scores on the ground while recording 5.2 yards per attempt. Then, last year, he took a step back, finishing with 463 yards and three scores on a pedestrian four yards per tote.

The 21-year-old was expected to share the backfield with Kamari Moulton and others this season, but he quickly entrenched himself as the Hawkeyes' featured back.