San Francisco 49ers DL Javon Hargave was a guest on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, and Hargrave talked about his admiration and respect for Steelers OLB T.J. Watt. It wasn’t always that way though, as Hargrave, when he was a member of the Steelers, thought the team just drafted Watt due to his brother J.J.’s pedigree.
“I love looking at T.J. from a distance. Just seeing how much he done grown to when he first came in, we just sitting there thinking ‘Oh, they just drafted him cause his brother,’ like they just drafted him cause J.J. his brother,” Hargrave said. “Seeing him, I think the first time we put on pads, just seeing him start snatching people and going around people like, ‘Oh yeah, this is a dude, this gonna be a guy one day.’ So, that’s my guy. I respect his game.”
Watt turned heads immediately in Pittsburgh, proving he wasn’t just a selection based off his brother’s success. In his first NFL game, he had seven tackles, two sacks and an interception against the Cleveland Browns in a 21-18 Steelers win. Watt’s gone on to amass 77.5 sacks in his six-year career and won the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year award. He is one of the best defensive players in the league, making his selection at No. 30 overall pack in 2017 one of the best picks in recent NFL history.
Hargrave and Watt teamed up with Heyward and Bud Dupree to form one of the best front sevens in football, but Pittsburgh couldn’t retain Hargrave due to a cap crunch ahead of the 2020 season. After three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, he’ll return to Pittsburgh for the first time with a full stadium in Sunday’s Steelers-49ers season opener.
The Steelers love their bloodlines, so you can’t fault Hargrave for thinking that J.J.’s success was a factor for the team drafting him. But, as he said, he quickly learned that Watt is a baller himself and the two seemingly have a nice relationship.
With Watt fully healthy, Sunday should be a matchup between two of the best defenses in the league. Hargrave is a force on the interior, and the 49ers also feature Arik Armstead on their defensive line, Fred Warner at linebacker and Talanoa Hufanga in the secondary. That’s without even mentioning reigning DPOY Nick Bosa off the EDGE, and if he plays the Steelers offense is going to have its hands full.
It’s going to be a great test for both squads, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both Watt and Hargrave ball out. Both of them are two of the better draft picks the Steelers have made recently, and it’s a testament to the team’s scouting and development process that two guys they drafted will be among the best on the field on Sunday.
Watch the full episode below:
