Steelers Now
Judging by Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan comments during an interview on NFL SiriusXM Radio, it would not be surprising if rookie Derrick Harmon is a Day 1 starter. Harmon has certainly turned heads at training camp.
“Hope so. That’s what we’re at training camp to figure out,” Khan said when asked if Harmon’s going to be in the starting lineup this season. “But it’s trending positively, and I can’t say enough about his work ethic and how important this is for him. And he’s plugging away.”
Harmon has looked quick, physical and strong. He’s made plays in the backfield, pressured the quarterback, dominated offensive linemen with his physicality, and generally been the best Steelers defensive lineman on the field, outside of Cam Heyward.
According to Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, everyone he’s talked to in Latrobe has gushed about the play of No. 99 so far. It’s a long way to go, but optimism is rising that the Steelers’ first-round pick could have a very strong rookie season.
ESPN analytics analyst Seth Walder predicted that Harmon will win the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The expectations are very high for the Detroit native.
“I don’t do a lot of prospect evaluating, but I do look at pass rushing and have created a sack-rate forecast model that predicts sacks numbers for the first few seasons of a player’s career. It uses data – taking into account things like their college pressure and pass rush win-rates, quality of school they went to and played against, combine information,” Walder said, via Steelers Takeaways. “Harmon graded strongly – he was sixth in his class. As a defensive tackle, getting sacks is more impressive than someone who gets the same number of sacks as an edge rusher, and the DROY awards pass rushers, mostly. And playing next to [Cameron] Heyward, [T.J.] Watt, [Nick] Herbig and [Alex] Highsmith should give him some good chances to get sacks.”
Many believe Harmon would have been a top 10 pick if it weren’t for injury concerns surrounding his shoulder. His MRI at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine pushed him down draft boards as it showed a partially torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum.
However, he has dismissed any worries regarding the issue since.
“Nothing’s wrong with my shoulder,” Harmon said. “I’m 100 percent healthy, ready to go.”
General manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin also dismissed any worries.
“We wouldn’t have picked him unless our medical staff was comfortable with it,” Khan said after the team drafted him.
In his three seasons of college football, Harmon did not miss a single game due to injury. He played 38 games.
If Harmon can stay healthy and translate his play to the next level, he will surely have a good opportunity to earn some hardware by the end of his rookie season. Judging by how Harmon’s looked at camp, he looks like the real deal.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from St. Vincent College.
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