Braves' JR Ritchie's first pitch in MLB went as poorly as it possibly could've
Braves' JR Ritchie allows home run on first MLB pitch
On a dark day, Emmett still shone bright. | Stephen Bruce
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200–202 lbs
Age: 22
2025 Production: 251 carries, 1,451 rushing yards (5.8 YPC), 12 rushing TDs; 46 receptions, 370 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs.
Accolades: 2025 First-Team All-American (On3, CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News)
Second-Team All-American (Walter Camp, The Athletic)
First-Team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Running Back of the Year.
Only Player in Program History to Have 100 Rushing Yards & 100 Receiving Yards in the Same Game (2025 at UCLA)
Emmett Johnson had an incredible season last year. Look at this stuff from Huskers.com about his production:
In 2025, Johnson led the nation scrimmage yards per game (151.8) and all-purpose yards per game (151.8), ranked second in total yards from scrimmage (1,821) and receptions by a running back (46), fourth in rushing yards (1,451) and rushing yards per game (120.9), sixth in carries (251), 11th in receiving yards by a running back (370) and 17th in total touchdowns (15). Johnson also led the nation by accounting for 40.7 percent of his team’s total yards during the regular season.
Johnson was the foundation of Nebraska’s offense in 2025. He was the only player on the team that you could count on to play good football throughout the 12 games he started. Continually found yardage where there was none. He had incredible patience and cutting ability, and he was the one guy that you would never want to play in that game called Kill the Carrier.
He skipped the bowl game and declared for the NFL Draft. Which was too bad because Nebraska could have used him to churn up some yardage and time in a game where they were clearly outmatched and had a defense that didn’t know how to play defense. Anywhoooooo..
Johnson’s lack of breakaway speed is the main characteristic that will limit his top end draft ability.
Jeremy Pernell at Sports Illustrated projects him from third to fifth round, stating:
While he doesn’t project as a clear RB1 at the NFL level due to average top-end athletic traits, his floor remains solid. He brings value as a complementary piece to a backfield, with his reliability as a runner and his impact in the passing game giving him a defined role. In the right system, he projects as a steady contributor who can handle volume in stretches while fitting comfortably into a rotation.
NFL.com ranks him as the fourth-best running back in the draft
Johnson is a hard-charging, gap-scheme runner. He brings a steady dose of urgency, decisiveness and fairly predictable run tracks. Johnson’s production and game-by-game consistency stand out despite average size and top-end speed.
Walterfootball.com ranks him as the eighth-best running back:
Johnson flashed some toughness and running ability. It would help him to gain some strength for the next level.
DraftNation.com sees him as a Day 2 or early Day 3 selection.
Emmett Johnson enters the 2026 NFL Draft as a well-rounded, high-production running back prospect whose combination of vision, physicality, and versatility projects well to the next level. With his ability to contribute both on the ground and through the air, Johnson has the tools to become a reliable NFL starter and a key piece of an offense at the next level.
Rotoviz says Johnson was clocked in the 4.4s at his Pro Day, and has lots of optimistic things to say about him:
But if it is of any consolation, Johnson is still being projected to be selected early on Day 3, which aligns more closely with Spears (third round; 81st overall) and White (fourth round; 130th) rather than Benjamin, who did not come off the board until the final round of the 2020 draft.
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