Why Emmett Johnson can contribute in 2026
The rookie running back has a chance to carve out a role in his first professional season
It took until the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft for the Chiefs to address the offensive side of the ball.
General Manager Brett Veach aggressively pursued defensive additions — giving up a third and fifth round picks for cornerback CB Mansoor Delane, and then selecting DT Peter Woods, EDGE R Mason Thomas, and Nickelback Jadon Canady with his picks in the first four rounds.
With his remaining fifth-round selection, Veach bolstered his running back room with the selection of Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson — a player we saw in the KCSN Draft Guide as a low third-round pick, which is described as a role player at the next level.
Why he fell
Johnson was just the sixth running back selected in the draft when the Chiefs picked him at 161. That is the lowest that RB6 has been selected in NFL Draft history.
The market for the running back positions was unprecedentedly soft. Teams did not feel good about the crop of players and moved on to higher priority positions.