Grading the Chiefs’ pick of Emmett Johnson at No. 161 in the NFL Draft

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: Emmett Johnson #21 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers runs past Jonjon Vaughns #6 of the UCLA Bruins for a touchdown, to take a 28-7 lead, during a 28-21 win over the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 08, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs have now made five selections in the 2026 NFL Draft!

The Chiefs took Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson with pick No. 161 in the second round. We have insta-grades from three members of the Arrowhead Pride Draft Team.

Caleb James

Emmet Johnson draft grade: B

For the second time in this draft, the Chiefs did not want to take any chances by letting a player they liked fall, so they traded up to land their guy.

With a big junior season at Nebraska, Johnson distinguished himself as one of the top running backs in the draft class, but with less-than-stellar athletic testing, he appears to have caused him to slip to day three in the draft.

Despite this, Johnson’s ability to avoid tacklers, combined with great downfield vision, will make him a good fit for the Chiefs’ zone run looks, as well as his ability to catch the football in space. His ability to use jump-cuts and shift his speed to throw off defenders will be a good compliment to Kenneth Walker.