Broncos Officially Showing Interest in Iowa Hawkeyes Standout

Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Kaleb Johnson is widely viewed as one of the top running backs in this year's NFL Draft class, so he is sure to command plenty of attention between now and the end of April.

The fact that the Philadelphia Eagles just won a Super Bowl with an offense spearheaded by Saquon Barkley has made star halfbacks in vogue again, so teams may now prioritize them a bit more in the coming weeks and months.

One NFL team on the rise that could absolutely use some help in its backfield is the Denver Broncos, who we recently mentioned as a natural fit for Johnson this spring.

Well, apparently, the Broncos are already keeping tabs on the Iowa product, as they reportedly met with Johnson at the NFL Scouting Combine, via Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette.

Denver's leading rusher in 2024 was Javonte Williams, who totaled just 513 yards and four touchdowns while averaging a meager 3.7 yards per carry. Williams is also hitting free agency this month, and the Broncos don't seem all that eager to retain him.

Outside of Williams, Denver has very limited options at the running back position, which absolutely opens the door for the Broncos to take a halfback early in the draft.

Denver owns the 20th and 51st overall picks in the first two rounds, and Johnson will probably fall somewhere in between those two selections.

While using a first-round pick on Johnson may be a bit too high, the Broncos would surely have no qualms about pulling the trigger at No. 51, and they may even be willing to trade up for the 22-year-old.

Denver went 10-7 this past season and was one of the NFL's biggest surprises, but it could definitely use a weapon like Johnson to bolster its offense.