The Kansas City Chiefs took running back Emmett Johnson in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. His 2025 season at Nebraska will make your eyes pop with Big Ten-leading 251 carries for 1,451 rushing yards, and he scored 12 times on the ground. Through the air, he caught 46 balls for 370 yards and another three touchdowns.
Johnson is battling holdover running back Brashard Smith and free-agent acquisition Emari Demercado for the RB2 spot behind Kenneth Walker III. He had a slow start to camp as he got acclimated to the NFL.
He saw his first game action in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams Saturday. On his third carry, he had an impressive stiff arm to pick up extra yardage on a 13-yard gain. Johnson had a touchdown run in the second quarter nullified due to a holding penalty. He caught a pass from rookie quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who was scrambling and in trouble, that went for a loss of six yards. He caught another screen pass late in the second quarter that went for a big gain but was called back on a holding penalty.
Early in the third quarter, Johnson hit the hole between the left tackle and left guard and showed a powerful run for seven yards and a first down. He followed it up with a toss off of left tackle that went for 12 yards and another first.
Johnson finished the day with 12 carries for 59 yards and three receptions for 10 yards.
