Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris certainly has been a workhorse for the team his first two NFL seasons as the former first round draft pick out of Alabama has managed to register 694 total touches to date. That now leaves Harris needing 306 total touches in 2023 to join an impressive list of players that have managed to register 1,000 total touches in their first three NFL seasons.
According to Pro Football Reference, there have been just 13 players that have managed to register 1,000 total touches in their first three NFL seasons and as you would probably imagine, all 13 are running backs. Seven of those 13 players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well.
Those 13 players that have previously registered 1,000 total touches in their first three NFL seasons are led by running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who compiled a whopping 1,262 total touches in his first three NFL seasons from 2001-2003. Behind Tomlinson are Eric Dickerson (1,153) and Emmitt Smith (1,111).
It should be noted, however, that all 13 players on this exquisite list played when there were only 16 games in a regular season. Additionally, only four of 13 players, Tomlinson, Smith, Ottis Anderson and Jamal Lewis, managed to play in all 48 games in their first three NFL seasons. Harris, on the other hand, has played 34 total games since entering the NFL as the league switched to a 17-game season beginning in 2021, his rookie year.
The last player to accomplish 1,000 total touches in his first three NFL seasons was Ezekiel Elliott from 2016-2018. Prior to Elliott, however, you must go back to Chris Johnson (2008-2010) to find a player with 1,000 or more total touches in his first three NFL seasons.
Another interesting aspect related to the 13 players that have managed to accomplish at least 1,000 touches in their first three NFL seasons is their average yards per carry and average yards per touch stats.
Of the 13 players, they averaged 4.89 yards per touch in their first three NFL seasons and 4.54 yards per rush. Harris enters his third NFL season with an average yards per touch of 4.22 and an average yards per rush stat of 3.86. In short, and I’m sure everyone reading this would probably agree, Harris needs to improve both of those averages in 2023.
In closing, Harris’ attempt to reach a career touch mark of 1,000 touches by the end of the 2023 season is very doable and especially if he stays healthy and plays in at least 16 of the team’s 17 regular season games. Sure, he’s had two extra games per season in his first two NFL years, but even if he hits the 1,000-touch mark by the end of the 2023 season it should still be considered a huge accomplishment on his part and especially if he manages to play in all 17 games as part of that.
