Down the stretch in the second half of the 2022 season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris really started to play at the level in which the Steelers envisioned when they selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Harris became that bruising, chain-moving running back in the second half of the season, thanks in large part to his success on zone runs.
In Matt Canada’s offense in Pittsburgh, the inside zone run scheme is just one part — but an integral one — of the rushing attack. Harris thrived in zone runs in 2022, finishing inside the top 10 in the NFL at the running back position on zone runs, joining names like Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, Las Vegas’ Joshua Jacobs, Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier, Dallas’ Tony Pollard and Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III.
Harris graded out at an 80.4 overall on zone runs, recording 750 rushing yards and four touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Harris added the most expected points added (EPA) of any running back on zone runs in the NFL.
“Najee Harris ranked eighth in rushing grade on zone plays (80.4) and generated the most EPA per play (0.655) among running backs. He turned 181 attempts into 750 rushing yards, with 511 of those yards coming after contact,” PFF writes regarding Harris’s success on zone runs. “He scored four touchdowns, generated 31 more first downs and ranked third at the position in missed tackles forced (33).”
Those are some very impressive numbers from Harris on zone runs, which is in line with the numbers he’s produced on those types of runs throughout his time in college and early on in the NFL.
At Alabama, Harris was dominant on zone runs, rushing for 886 yards on 154 carries (5.8 yards per carry), scoring seven touchdowns, ripping off 33 10+ yard runs and added 50 first downs overall.
As a rookie, Harris led the league in rushing attempts on zone runs in 2021 with 155 carries for 737 yards and 21 runs of 10+ yards on those types of plays. In 2022 alone, the Steelers ran 251 zone runs under Canada. Only Atlanta, Tennessee and Minnesota ran more zone runs than Pittsburgh did.
Harris very clearly has a comfort and confidence within the zone schemes, allowing him to pick and choose his paths forward behind a rebuilt offensive line that really took off in the second half of the season on the ground.
Adding the likes of Isaac Seumalo and Broderick Jones this offseason via free agency and the NFL Draft should only help Harris and the Steelers in the zone rushing attack. Harris appears primed for a breakout third season, and it could largely happen due to the zone scheme the Steelers utilize under Canada.
