Steelers Pass On Running Back Najee Harris in 2021 NFL Redraft

The Pittsburgh Steelers pass on running back Najee Harris in Pro Football & Sports Network’s 2021 NFL Redraft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected running back Najee Harris with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, Pro Football & Sports Network believes they would go in a different direction if they could go back in time.

In PFSN’s 2021 NFL Redraft, it has the Steelers drafting center Drew Dalman, instead.

“In 2021, the Steelers were in their first year without star center Maurkice Pouncey, leaving a massive hole in their offensive line,” PFSN writes. “Dalman just got a three-year, $42 million deal from the Bears in the 2025 offseason after having been one of the league’s best centers the last two years.”

Dalman was selected with the No. 114 overall pick in the fourth round by the Atlanta Falcons, but he has established himself as one of the league’s top centers.

Last season, the 26-year-old allowed just two sacks in 554 offensive snaps played, according to Pro Football Focus, and Chicago rewarded him with a big payday this offseason.

Pittsburgh did select a center in the 2021 NFL Draft in Kendrick Green with the No. 87 overall pick in the third round. But he was traded to the Houston Texans in 2023 after struggling mightily in the first two years of his NFL career. Green joined the Buffalo Bills on a one-year contract this offseason.

Harris wasn’t necessarily a bad pick like Green as he did rush for at least 1,000 yards in four straight seasons.

However, the Steelers would have been wise to address their aging offensive line as they have done in the past few drafts.

Harris has since joined the Chargers in free agency, but his future in Los Angeles is up in the air after the team drafted running back Omarion Hampton with its first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Pass On Running Back Najee Harris in 2021 NFL Redraft