Steelers/NFL
The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed at #21 and seleted Oregon DT Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick. Pittsburgh for weeks has believed the board would break with them having a chance at multiple impact defensive linemen who could help right away and even with Kenneth Grant, a favorite of Pittsburgh’s whom they had a Top-10 grade on going to Miami at #13, Harmon was a quick, easy decision over North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton who was also in consideration for the pick and went the very next pick to the LA Chargers, while WR Matthew Golden went #23 to the Green Bay Packers. A decision internally not to take Shedeur Sanders was made late Thursday morning.
On Harmon Mike Tomlin see’s Cam Heyward similarities.
“He has Steelers DNA,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Harmon whom the Steelers expected to come in right away and play and dominate in time. “For us it starts inside and up front. This is a guy that is capable of dominating that space versus the run and the pass. We are excited about having him. Really excited about getting him in here and getting started. There is no substitute for young talent. You don’t have a chance to build a quality defense unless you are stout inside and up front. This is a guy that has an opportunity to learn from the likes of Cam Heyward and put his hand in the pile and be a significant contributor for us for years to come.”
Harmon had a career-high 45 tackles, five sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 2024 at Oregon. Among the attractive #’s in Harmons game from 2024:
- 55 Pressures
- 18% Pass Rush Win Rate
- 11% Pressure Rate
“He’s a smart guy, he’s a football guy, he has natural leadership skills,” said Tomlin. “The people at Oregon were blown away by his ability to fit in and not only in but lad in a short period of time (after transferring from Michigan State). Tangibles things are obvious, but we were equally impressed with his intangible qualities, his intellect, his relationship with the game, his natural leadership qualities.”
Hence, this is a very coachable player, combined with talent who gets to learn from Cam Heyward, a match made in heaven the Steelers feel.
Mike Tomlin is extremely excited about a Harmon/Benton pairing long-term……..
“I think we got two quality young players that are hopefully gonna play a long time together and have a great deal of success,” said Tomlin. “Both guys are versatile, both guys are stout against the run. Both guys are pass rush capable.”
Week 2 What We Learned: Familiar scene where scheme issues on both sides of the ball loom large