Steelers Rookie Ready to Break Mold

PITTSBURGH — The buzz surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick Derrick Harmon is notable. Three of the organization’s last six first round picks are no longer with the team, but Harmon’s selection feels like a return to the Steelers of old. Harmon is a classic defensive lineman with the tools and characteristics to be a 10-year fixture along Pittsburgh’s defensive front.

The Steelers are not known to incorporate rookies into a starting role quickly. It’s rare for situations like last season, where they started a rookie cornerback in the slot. Head coach Mike Tomlin’s hesitancy to trust first-year players is warranted, but that will change this season. This will go one step further than the impressive debut campaign for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in 2023, as Harmon will secure a starting spot and the future defensive anchor position in 2025.

Harmon is the best defensive player to join the Steelers via the draft since T.J. Watt. That’s not hyperbole, facetiousness, or exaggeration. Tomlin praised the University of Oregon product as one of the top young talents to come through the organization in recent memory.

”He has Steelers DNA," he said. "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.”

What sticks out about Harmon more than anything else is his ability to stop the run. The 6’5”, 300+ pound lineman is stout, solid, and equally athletic. Coming off of a defensive front that included Larry Ogunjobi and Montravius Adams for a majority of snaps, Harmon’s quickness and explosiveness will pay dividends. The pressure will now no longer be on Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton solely to win at the line of scrimmage. Instead, their powerful rookie will be a dependable asset in run downs, passing downs, and close yardage situations.

Harmon is a three-down defensive lineman, something the Steelers desperately needed. Now that they have him, they won’t squander any time making him wait and learn. The mold for rookies is broken with the arrival of Derrick Harmon, and the Steelers need to let him loose as soon as the 2025 season begins.