Toward the end of the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers simply could not stop the run. They knew it was an issue, which is why Pittsburgh took DL Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick in this year’s draft. According to beat writer Brian Batko, the Steelers aren’t taking it slow with the rookie.
“Yeah, I mean, Derrick Harmon, everybody’s been very complimentary of him,” Batko said Friday on The North Shore Drive podcast. “You wouldn’t really expect anything else, but there’s hasn’t been much pumping the brakes in terms of, let’s give it time. You know Mike Tomlin is always gonna do that.”
It comes to no surprise that the Steelers aren’t taking things slow with their first-round pick. If there’s any round in which teams are seeking instant starters, it’s the first. And according to Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, Harmon is already seeing starting reps during practice.
The interior of the defensive line really struggled at times last year, with nobody really stepping up aside from Cam Heyward. Elsewhere on that unit, the Steelers have two new faces in Daniel Ekuale and Yahya Black, who could make an impact as well.
However, there’s another player who will be in the rotation as well, and that’s Keeanu Benton, who is heading into his third year. The Steelers are hoping he can take another step forward this season. According to Batko, Benton has high praise for Derrick Harmon as well.
“I talked to Keeanu Benton one of the last days before the team went their separate ways,” Batko said. “And as somebody who was a rookie d-lineman himself a couple of years ago, joining the same defense, I asked him how Harmon is doing, and how he’s taken to being a starter already, as Karl Dunbar declared him. Benton said he’s thriving. He came in with a great attitude, he hopped on a moving train. And [Benton’s] like ‘Yeah, he’s got the talent, and he’s got the mentality for it.’”
The Steelers really need Harmon to make a big impact in Year 1. So there’s no reason to ease him into things. The more reps he gets with the starters the better, and the more comfortable he feels alongside his new teammates.
In Harmon, the Steelers knew they were getting a player with a good mentality. As soon as he was drafted, Harmon’s mentality was tested. After receiving the call, he traveled to meet his mother, who unfortunately passed away that same night. Despite that, Harmon managed to make quick trip to Pittsburgh after the draft.
Going through OTAs and minicamp for the first time, with a tragic moment like that so close in the rearview mirror must have been difficult. However, Derrick Harmon’s clearly got a good head on his shoulders. That’s apparent to his new teammates, it seems.
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