The player transaction news involving the San Francisco 49ers that we’ve all been waiting for came Friday morning, as the team signed former Pittsburgh Steelers P Pressley Harvin III. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported the news.
Harvin spent the first three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh after being a seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech in the 2021 NFL Draft. He never really got going in Pittsburgh, finishing his career with a 39.4-yard net average on his punts.
Harvin won the Ray Guy Award as the best collegiate punter at Georgia Tech before being drafted by Pittsburgh, where he beat out Jordan Berry for the job his rookie season. His best season with the Steelers came in 2022 when he averaged 44.5 yards per punt and had a net average of 41.1 yards per punt, the only time in his career that number topped 40 yards.
The Steelers cut Harvin at the end of the season and quickly signed P Cameron Johnston to replace him when free agency opened. Harvin attended the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp but didn’t have any opportunities otherwise following his release from the Steelers.
So far, Johnston has impressed in camp, and there’s hope that the punting game in Pittsburgh can be an asset to this team instead of a weakness. Harvin has had all offseason to work on his game, so he’s hoping he can show enough to find a place to play this season.
San Francisco has an established punter in Mitch Wishnowsky, but Harvin gives the team another leg. Signing with a team allows Harvin to audition not just for the 49ers but for teams around the league. We’ll see if he’ll be able to take advantage of his opportunity and find success and potentially a new home in 2024.
