What Steelers Are Getting in Derrick Harmon

The Pittsburgh Steelers fortified the defensive line tonight, spending the No. 21 overall draft selection on 6-foot-4, 313-pound behemoth Derrick Harmon.

The Oregon Duck was regarded by The Athletic as best defensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft outside of Michigan's Mason Graham - selected fifth overall by the Browns - per Dane Brugler's impressive The Beast database.

When it comes to interior defensive linemen tipping the scales well over the 300 mark in recent drafts, Harmon is armed with first-step quickness that few can rival. With that elite get-off, despite what his stature may suggest, Harmon is no one-gap interior defender.

No, sir.

The former Michigan State Spartan (2021-2023) led college football with 55 quarterback hurries last season. With that burst off the snap, Harmon can attack multiple gaps from a variety of techniques upfront, a unique level of position flexibility for an athlete with his size. Nearing 320 pounds, he proved to have speed beyond his admired first step, clocking a solid 5.0 40-yard dash at the combine.

An ideal middle man in the Oregon defense that often operated out of a 3-4 front, Harmon converted his special tools into 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks alongside 45 total tackles in 2024.

He's strong as a bull, regularly overwhelming solid offensive linemen in recent years. Harmons is quick-triggered with more overall speed than most anticipate, catching opponents off guard. And you can't summarize his pass rush moves and polished attacks at his fingertips by describing a handful of techniques.