The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: In a redraft exercise, would you take RB Travis Etienne over Najee Harris?
People always seem to love the draft and to hate first-round running backs, so let’s talk about redrafting first-round running backs. Two running backs taken back-to-back in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft will be on opposite sides of the field today in Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Travis Etienne of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Steelers had their pick of either one at 24, but there was really never any question about which back they liked more. Etienne was taken one selection later, and I think both teams are happy with the players that they selected.
But which would have been the better choice at 24? We can start by comparing statistics, but that’s just a point of entrance into the discussion. We start by noting that Etienne missed his rookie season due to injury.
Harris has 2,534 rushing yards on 656 carries with 15 rushing touchdowns since he entered the league, putting those numbers up over 40 games. Etienne has rushed for 1,629 yards on 347 attempts with 12 rushing touchdowns in 24 games. Harris has 748 receiving yards on 123 catches with six touchdowns. Etienne has 512 yards on 59 catches but has no receiving touchdowns. He has five career fumbles, but none this year. Harris has four career fumbles (really three), with one in 2023.
Etienne has a better rushing average and better efficiency numbers across the board. He actually leads the NFL in rushing attempts and touches this year, so he’s capable of being a workhorse. He’s not as big as Harris, but he can handle the load.
If you had your pick, who would you take now if you could go back in time and make the Steelers’ selection for them? Let’s assume you have to take a running back, because I know most of you would do something different—like, say, drafting OL Landon Dickerson.
