Why Emmett Johnson’s Combine Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story: Upon Further Review, No. 2

Kevin Szafraniec
April 20, 2026

Kevin Szafraniec debates whether the draft and fantasy communities are properly incorporating the latest information regarding Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson into their evaluations.

Emmett Johnson ended his career at Nebraska with an exclamation mark, finishing 2025 with the fourth-most rushing yards in the FBS while also winning Big Ten Running Back of the Year and all-conference first-team honors. Back in January, Johnson was projected to be a mid-Day-2 selection in the draft (per NFL Mock Draft Database) and had a very real chance of being the second back selected in an RB class that lacked a clear No. 2.

Then the NFL combine happened. Some of Johnson’s overall numbers were average for the RB position. Others definitely fell short. And after being adjusted for weight, everything looked significantly worse. We had a full breakdown of Johnson’s career at Nebraska and his combine performance in Volume 2 of the 2026 RotoViz Rookie Draft Guide.

Given Johnson’s lackluster boom rate as a runner during his final college season, it was unrealistic to expect him to light the track on fire in Indianapolis. However, his poor agility numbers came as a bit of a surprise after posting an extremely strong 14.7% forced missed-tackle rate in 2025.

Appearances by James White and current RotoViz favorite Tyjae Spears in Johnson’s Workout Explorer comps are enough to keep hope alive, but seeing another past RotoViz favorite, Eno Benjamin, is a painful reminder that we have been duped by players with a similar combination of production and athletic profiles before.

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.

We also received a new beacon of hope at Johnson’s pro day, where his updated 40 time helped alleviate some concerns about his athleticism.

Can confirm – #Huskers RB Emmett Johnson was clocked in the 4.4’s at his Pro Day today, per our sources.

At 205 pounds, the Minneapolis product put a lot of critics to rest this afternoon! https://t.co/2NlsLkmgGE

— Vikes\/erified (@VikesVV) March 25, 2026

Even accounting for human error, Johnson’s latest attempt at the 40 is an improvement over his poor combine performance. But is it enough to lock him into the second tier of 2026’s RB class?

The 2026 RotoViz Rookie Draft Guide is jam-packed with comprehensive player profiles, advanced stats, player comps, strategies, and rankings from the RotoViz staff, making it a must-have for every fantasy manager who wants to crush their best ball, dynasty, and redraft leagues in 2026!

Keep an eye out for Volume 3, which will drop after the 2026 NFL Draft!

Crunching the Numbers

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Kevin Szafraniec

Lead Writer and Full-time Cat Dad. Sneakerhead, Record Collector, Beatmaker, Lord of the Rings Superfan, and Jeopardy Enthusiast in my free time. Follow me on X and Bluesky @thecatdadff

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