If any specialist wants to stick in the NFL, there’s one trait that rises above all the others. Consistency. An inconsistent kicker, punter, or snapper is an unemployed kicker, punter, or snapper. For other positions, there might be more leeway. A fast receiver who makes plays can drop a couple passes. A ball-hawking cornerback can be forgiven if he doesn’t tackle like a linebacker. And with how hard it is to find a decent quarterback, anyone who shows glimpses of promise will get to hang around for awhile.
Not so when you’re a punter. Without consistency, there’s no trust. And without trust, you’re not on a roster. For Pittsburgh Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III, consistency has been the issue throughout his NFL career. It’s something he’s working on improving.
Harvin recently joined the German-based Männer aus Stahl podcast, translating to “Men of Steel” and serves as the team’s official German podcast, highlighting the reach Steeler Nation has. Harvin was a guest (this appears to have been recorded in late October but was uploaded today), outlining his career and time with Pittsburgh.
One of the top college punters out of Georgia Tech, Harvin said he was proud to be named the NCAA’s Ray Guy Award winner in his final year with the Yellow Jackets, given to college football’s top punter. For Harvin, he wants to return to that level as a Steeler.
“I’m just trying to make these plays at this level now,” Harvin told the show. “Continue to be more consistent.”
Harvin broke out his senior year of college, averaging 48 yards per boot. That led the rest of FCS by nearly a full yard and earned him the honor of being college football’s best punter. Pittsburgh didn’t hide its interest in him, sending Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith to his Pro Day. The Steelers used their final selection of the 2021 draft on him and he edged out incumbent Jordan Berry to win the team’s punting job.
So far, Harvin’s still searching for that consistency. His 44 yards per punt are down from last year while his 39.1 yards of net punting (a unit stat, to be fair, not just a punter one) is exactly two yards worse than his 2022 mark. Compared to the rest of the NFL, his numbers are bottom five and he’s had an especially tough stretch of games recently, hurting Pittsburgh’s field position and contributing to the team’s three-game skid before breaking out of it in Saturday’s win over Cincinnati.
Technique is correlated with consistency, but Harvin says he just wants to feel confident hitting the ball. The rest will take care of itself.
“I find my focus in chasing the feeling,” he told the podcast. “Not technique work…as a punter, it is so technical. But instead of chasing technique stuff and telling myself tidbits, I’m trying to chase more of a feeling now. The feeling of hitting the ball good, great energy, positive energy. Focus on winning is what Coach [Mike] Tomlin tells us, too.”
While technique is important, Harvin knows it’s hard to replicate his exact form throughout the course of a season.
“It’s never going to be the same swing two days in a row,” he said. “We could really drive ourselves crazy if we start getting into that. So instead of that, I just started chasing the feeling of being able to be in the game, be engaged in the game, and just make plays.”
For Harvin, he hopes to channel that in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career.
“Being able to be here in this organization too is just another plus on top of that,” he said. “You’ve got these six Lombardis on the other side of us right now. And I’m kinda like, ‘Dang, I want my picture on the back of one of these.’ It’s a lot of history, a lot of history in this place…hopefully I’ll be here as long as I play.”
While his punting hasn’t been perfect, Harvin has become an excellent holder. He showed those skills in the Bengals game, saving Christian Kuntz’s snap that allowed K Chris Boswell to put another one through the uprights.
Next season will be the final year of Harvin’s rookie contract. It’s possible Pittsburgh brings in strong competition for him to get the best possible results, especially for an offense that struggles to consistently move the ball and could use a field-flipper that a top punter can provide.
