Bears running back Roschon Johnson named under-the-radar rookie to watch

I’ve been covering the NFL Draft for more than a decade, and in all that time, I’ve never seen so much hype surround a fourth-round pick like it has for Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson.

Obviously, this is a great thing. It means the Bears landed a player who entered the draft process which a much higher grade than the fourth-round pick he became. His role as Bijan Robinson’s backup at Texas limited his production, which likely forced him out of Day 2, but that could prove to be a huge mistake by running back-needy teams who chose to wait too long to select him.

Now, he’s a Bear, and there’s a chance he’ll emerge as the team’s starter by midseason. As a result, he was dubbed an under-the-radar rookie to watch by ESPN’s Matt Miller.

“You might not expect fourth-round draft picks to have a major impact, but Johnson could be this year’s Dameon Pierce as a Day 3 selection who ultimately leads his team in rushing,” Miller wrote. “Johnson was the backup to Robinson at Texas, so he didn’t get a ton of carries, but he’s a three-down back with power at 6-foot-2, 223 pounds. He is also a fantastic pass-catcher and blocker in the backfield. In a crowded Chicago running back room, Johnson might not be the Week 1 starter, but he could easily be getting the most carries by midseason.”

Roschon Johnson was as good as advertised in the preseason

Johnson had a fantastic preseason that highlighted many of the traits Miller outlined. He ran with power and violence between the tackles and flashed an ability to scoot past second-level defenders with better-than-expected juice.

SIX notable rookies with some IMPRESSIVE stats from the 2023 NFL Preseason:

1.

ROSCHON JOHNSON | RB | CHI

8 missed tackles forced rushing (2nd) on just 28 attempts

3.64 Yards after contact per rush attemptpic.twitter.com/GQanIeJqPn

— Matt FF Dynasty (@MattFFDynasty) August 29, 2023

It’s noteworthy that Johnson entered the Bears’ final preseason game on third down with the starters, ahead of veteran D’Onta Foreman. While Foreman may still be the first running back off the bench when the regular season kicks off Sept. 10, it won’t be long before Johnson unseats him and threatens Khalil Herbert for the lead-back role.

Still, Bears fans should have realistic expectations for a Day-3 rookie, no matter how much of a steal he was. Johnson won’t light the NFL on fire in September, perhaps it will take an injury for him to get a relevant workload.

Until then, Johnson will be valuable on special teams and passing downs whenever his number is called.