Emmett Johnson had a night to remember on Day 3 of the recently concluded 2026 NFL Draft when he was selected in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs. While getting selected by arguably the best organization in the league can be reason enough to celebrate, Johnson had another treat coming when a pair of franchise legends welcomed him with open arms.

Speaking to Hurrdat Sports, Johnson revealed his excitement when Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce reached out to him shortly after being drafted.

“Mahomes was actually the first to text me after I got selected. Kelce was really pumped, too, and told me, ‘If you need anything, just let me know.’ Hearing from them meant a lot. It was really welcoming. But I told them I’m excited to be here, I’m ready to get to work. That’s kind of how they are. I’m just excited to get to work with the guys. Legendary offense, legendary program,” Johnson said.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce displaying great leadership skills should come as no surprise. The duo has helped lead the Chiefs to become the gold standard organization in the NFL this past decade. Since 2018, the Chiefs have won 96 games in 8 seasons. They’ve won their division and made the playoffs in 7 out of the past 8 seasons. More significantly, they’ve reached five Super Bowls and won three of them.

While it’s easy for a rookie to get starstruck by the on-field resumes of this dynamic duo, Emmett Johnson is no slouch himself. Johnson is coming off an outstanding college career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In his final college season, the Minnesota native rushed for 1,451 yards across 12 games, scoring 12 rushing touchdowns in the process.

Johnson also added 370 receiving yards and three touchdowns out of the backfield. This standout season earned him All-American honors and led him to being named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year. With that level of production, Emmett Johnson will reportedly fill a key need in what Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs were looking for in their offense last season.

Emmett Johnson to address a key need in Kansas City’s rushing attack

The Kansas City Chiefs struggled heavily in 2025 as they posted a 6–11 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. Their substandard offense was a huge part of that disappointing record. Their rushing attack in particular was disappointing when they ranked 25th in the league in rushing with an average of 106.6 rushing yards per game. Kareem Hunt, who was their leading rusher, managed to rush only for 611 yards.

Brett Veach, the Chiefs’ general manager, and Andy Reid moved quickly to aggressively reconstruct their running back room. They added reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, from the Seattle Seahawks, on a three-year, $45 million deal.

Now, by adding Emmett Johnson, the Chiefs are hoping that he can serve as an important piece to their run game alongside Walker and help give their rushing attack a shot in the arm heading into the 2026 season.

While the early outreach from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce was a genuine moment of teammate camaraderie, Johnson said it best himself: “I’m ready to get to work.” That mindset is exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs will be counting on as they look to course correct on what they hope to be an anomaly of a season last year.