Pressley Harvin III endured a tougher rookie season than anyone in 2021. On the field, his performances were a bit of all over the place. Off the field, he dealt with his father passing away on Christmas morning.
The Steelers rode with Harvin through everything and seemed to be reaping the benefits of it as the season came to close. Harvin had arguably his best performance of his career in the Wild Card loss against the Chiefs. He averaged just under 50 yards/punt across seven punts.
“The next steps are taking a little bit of time off, going back home to family for a little bit of an extended period of time. I still got a mom, a little brother at home that I still worry about every day. The biggest thing is just working on consistency,” Harvin said on Thursday via the Steelers’ page. “I’m actually gonna be training in different types of climates with different locations in the southeast. I’ll be trying to kick up here too just to get more of a rhythm of being in different climates around places that we play in during the season.”
Having played high school ball in South Carolina and college ball at Georgia Tech, Harvin has always been in the warmer climates. That’s not to say he hasn’t punted in some less-than-ideal conditions, but the NFL was probably a bit of a wake-up call. Beyond just Pittsburgh, the Steelers played in Kansas City twice and in Baltimore, some of the colder environments in football.
“The other one is just continue to have that mental toughness. You gotta keep yourself motivated, stay accountable for yourself, and continue to do the work that you need.”
Beyond the football field, Harvin has become one of the more likable guys in the NFL. The Steelers continue to show confidence in him, particularly when they released Corliss Waitman prior to the Chiefs game.
The punter possesses a ton of talent, as shown by his selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. If he can improve his consistency in the offseason, look for a breakout sophomore season in 2022.
