3. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Running back Kenneth Gainwell left the Eagles in free agency to join the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year, $1.79 million deal. They lost RB Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers and needed some fresh legs added to the group.
Going into the draft, Pittsburgh had Jaylen Warren and Gainwell as the top two RBs on the depth chart but that changed after draft weekend.
In the third round, the Steelers drafted Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson. The Athletic's Dane Brugler had Johnson ranked as his third overall running back and gave him a second-round grade. Johnson will run through contact but stays light on his feet to quickly make a cut. In his college career, he had 2,779 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
That kind of production is very telling to teams, and he will quickly take over Gainwell's spot on the depth chart. Gainwell is better used as a change-of-pace running back who can catch passes out of the backfield. That will likely be his role again with the Steelers but he will certainly be placed behind Johnson on the depth chart.
4. Oren Burks, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
Oren Burks spent the 2024 season with the Philadelphia Eagles and stepped up in the playoffs when Nakobe Dean went down with a knee injury. He played well in the playoffs, logging 25 total tackles and two forced fumbles. That led to him landing a two-year, $5 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
While it seemed like he would have a role on that team, after the NFL draft, it doesn't look like it. The Bengals took South Carolina LB Demetrius Knight Jr. with the 49th overall pick in the second round. They didn't stop there, adding Clemson LB Barrett Carter in the fourth round.
Knight Jr. is a downhill thumper against the run and does a superb job in pursuit to take down ball carriers. Last season at South Carolina, he had 82 total tackles, eight TFLs, and three forced fumbles. The Bengals made him a top 50 pick cause they believe in his potential.
Carter is another player who has a ton of potential. He can fly around the field and was one of the " best open-field pursuit defenders in this draft class", according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler. In four seasons with Clemson, he had 233 total tackles, 31.5 TFLs, and 24 pass deflections.
After seeing these numbers, it won't be surprising to see that the Bengals are putting these guys ahead of Burks on the depth chart. He's a solid rotational piece but he will likely be firmly behind Knight Jr. and Carter by the time Week 1 rolls around.