Steelers' Najee Harris ripped by NFL analyst: 'You can't take a guy like Najee'

If the Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris was a horse, then Ross Tucker would be guilty of murder because he is beating him to death. Tucker is a popular NFL analyst who hosts the "Ross Tucker Football Podcast" and is an analyst for the Westwood One radio network on NFL broadcasts. Tucker appears regularly on programs like "The Dan Patrick Show" and is a well-respected former player who has carved out his niche in the crowded broadcasting business.

Tucker joined Andrew Fillipponi on the Tuesday version of "The PM Team W/Poni & Mueller" from the Super Bowl's radio row in Arizona to discuss the current state of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fillipponi asked Tucker if Harris had changed his opinion during the second half of the 2022 season when Harris vastly improved his level of play.

“He got the memo,” Tucker responded after agreeing that he liked Jaylen Warren better at one point. “You don’t really see that very often. Where an NFL player totally changes their style right in the middle of the season, and it worked.”

The Harris resurgence was a key to the Steelers’ second-half turnaround. If his career continues on the upward trajectory it appears to be on after the completion of the 2022 season, then the first half of this season will be chalked up to the foot injury he suffered in training camp. He did benefit from Jaylen Warren keeping him fresh and allowing him to run more physically every time he touched the ball.

Fillipponi, who has lambasted the first-round pick of Harris almost since it was made, redirected Tucker on the question of drafting Harris versus Philadelphia Eagles lineman Landon Dickerson during the 2021 NFL Draft. The Steelers had a choice of both players and elected to pass on Dickerson, despite the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey at the end of the previous season.

“I’d rather have Landon Dickerson, he’s a mover of men,” Tucker stated. “He kills people. He had a litany of health issues in college which is why he slipped to the second round. If the Eagles win Sunday, they had the best offensive line and defensive line in football. You just can’t take a guy like Najee in the first round. You just can’t do that.”

Tucker and Fillipponi are not alone in their criticism of Harris being chosen in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Film guru Greg Cosell and Pro Football Focus among a litany of other vocal critics have called it a wasted opportunity for the Steelers. Pittsburgh not only passed on Dickerson, but they passed on Creed Humphrey in the second round of the draft to pick Pat Freiermuth. The big tight end doesn't draw the same vitriol as Harris when the subject comes up. 

Those two players in the middle of the Steelers’ offensive line might have made a huge difference for Ben Roethlisberger in his final season with Pittsburgh and changed the dynamic of the 2022 version of the black and gold. Eagles draft guru Andy Weidl has joined the Pittsburgh front office and it has been rumored that he has been given control of the draft board based on the success he had in Philadelphia.

“Even if Najee ran harder and played better like you and I discussed,” Tucker concluded his thought. “He’s still not a first-round player. Najee is more like a sustaining guy and that’s fine but he’s not a difference-making player. He’s just not explosive enough.”

The observation is taken almost verbatim from Cosell’s criticism on Tucker's podcast recently. NFL teams don’t value running backs in the modern game and it isn't a secret anymore. Even the top backs are seen as expendable by the end of their rookie contracts and recent history suggests that teams are better off moving on when their first deal is up. The recent cautionary tales of Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliot and Le’Veon Bell are prime examples of why teams should not invest in a running back.

Harris has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Steelers, but a 17-game schedule averaging 60 yards per game may not be the achievement that fans think it is. Changing the Steelers backfield into a two-headed monster may turn the former Alabama Crimson Tide running back into Derrick Henry instead of Trent Richardson over the next two seasons. That certainly would prove a lot of people wrong.