Emmett Johnson

Goldman reports that the team is “very high” on Demercado, who ran as the No. 2 back throughout OTAs. The Chiefs signed Demercado to a one-year “prove it” contract worth $1,250,000 to back up Kenneth Walker and then added Emmet Johnson in Round 5 of the NFL Draft.

While Emari Demarcado‘s veteran status grants him the inside track to backup duties, Emmett Johnson was a Heisman contender at Nebraska and was compared to LeSean McCoy by Andy Reid. Demercado will likely operate as the team’s RB2 and primary back on passing downs in September before ceding the role to Johnson as the season rolls along.

Kenneth Walker clearly fronts this backfield, but his ceiling remains heavily tied to passing game involvement after posting a meager 7.9-percent Target Share last season. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is challenging the talented rusher to improve his pass protection and route running, areas that have historically limited his utility on third downs.

Walker is an elite creator on the ground with a 31.7-percent Juke Rate, but a purely run-centric workload will keep his baseline projection locked into the RB2 tier for fantasy managers. He is worth drafting for the massive TD equity, but with the presence of Emmett Johnson as a passing down option, Walker’s ceiling appears capped at low-end fantasy RB1 in Kansas City. 

With Patrick Mahomes rehabbing a knee injury, the Chiefs are expected to lean on Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker and a strong offensive line to lead the offense early in the season. Walker warrants low-end RB1 treatment, as the team intends to maintain a productive run game even if they plan to increase passing volume later in the year.

Kansas City may be more likely to install Emmett Johnson as a breather back to Walker during training camp to accommodate a run-heavy approach. With the Chiefs doing their best Seahawks impression to start the year, Johnson could be Kansas City’s Charbonnet. Johnson is a top value being drafted mid-to-late Round 2 in dynasty rookie drafts.

Kansas City traded up to take Emmett Johnson with the 161st overall pick in the draft, adding the Nebraska product to a revamped backfield alongside free agency splash signing Ken Walker III and Emari Demercado. “He’s a juke button, he has very good feet, vision, feel, and he’s very good out of the backfield,” Nutt said of Johnson, 22, who posted an astounding 100th percentile College Dominator Rating at Nebraska along with a 99th percentile College Target Share.

Arrowhead Pride’s Ron Kop, Jr. said the rookie is “projected to be the immediate backup to Walker in the lead-back role, but don’t be surprised if Johnson earns his way onto the field on pass downs or in other situations.” Johnson was a monster producer evidenced by 1,823 total yards in 2025 and is the perfect upside pick in the second and third rounds of dynasty rookie drafts.

The Kansas City Chiefs just secured dawg in No. 161 in Emmett Johnson, a compact hammer who pairs a 36.3% College Dominator Rating (89th-percentile) with the rugged contact balance to rack up 1,451 rushing yards in the brutal Big Ten. Johnson as a pass catcher registered a 15.9% Target Share (97th-percentile) to pair with his 5.8 College Yards Per Carry, proving he possesses the elite pass-catching floor and deceptive short-area burst—verified by a 1.59-second 10-yard split—to thrive in Andy Reid’s creative scheme.

In dynasty formats, Johnson is a late-round rookie value, where he will likely serve as RB2 behind Kenneth Walker III and could have a standalone role on 3rd downs.  The real loser from this pick is Brashard Smith, who is likely going to tumble down the depth charts.