It is never too early to begin watching prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. General manager Jason Licht has made the draft the key cog in the machine for the Bucs in terms of roster building and transforming the team itself.
We are going to be covering every position in the draft, not all of them will be the Bucs’ needs necessarily. But of course, anything is possible for a team, and if not, they will be drafted by a division rival that the Bucs see twice a year.
For this report, we will be discussing a running back. While the team has Bucky Irving on the roster, they do have looming free agents in Rachaad White and Sean Tucker. It is a sneaky need for the team, but one that can be easily addressed in the draft.
With that in mind, here is our report on Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson.
Information
School: Nebraska
Conference: Big Ten
Height/Weight: 5-11, 200 lbs.
Age when Drafted: 22
Previous Schools: None
Background
Notable Stats
Carries: 458
Rushing Yards: 2,460
Receptions: 92
Receiving Yards: 702
Career Touches: 550
Total Touchdowns: 20
Notable PFF Numbers from 2025
PFF Rushing Grade: 88.1
Yards After Contact Per Carry: 2.95
Missed Tackles Forced: 67
Runs of 10+ Yards: 36
Breakaway Run %: 27.8
Skills
Player Summary
Emmett Johnson is getting a lot of steam around draft circles, but I remain mum on his ability to be a tone setter in this class. What I do like about Johnson’s potential is his physical style, which is matched by the strength and determination with which he runs. He does have some athleticism in his lower half and movement skills, which will intrigue some teams and staffs, but the film wasn’t as exciting as one would have hoped for. The combine will be big for him, but at this point, he can be a fun piece in a running back rotation based on what we have seen.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Emmett Johnson, Running Back, Nebraska
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
