He spent just one season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State for the 2024 season, but new Pittsburgh Steelers first-round selection Derrick Harmon left quite an imprint on the program in Eugene, Ore.
For Oregon Ducks reporter James Crepea, who appeared on the 93.7 The Fan Joe Show with Joe Starkey Friday afternoon, Harmon was a lead-by-example guy who wasn’t a rah-rah player. But that lead-by-example mantra with his work ethic and attitude made an impact in his one season with the Ducks, and should have an impact in Pittsburgh long term, too.
“He is not necessarily a guy who’s gonna be leading in a huddle in a verbal way. But this is a guy who leads, because you hear about things like lead by example, this is just kind of a tone-setter player,” Crepea said of Harmon, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “I say, like when you do the things that he does on the field, and then the way that he went about it, he was here for less than a year. You hear stuff from teammates about just the way that he goes about his business.
“You know, he was here for a reason. He was here to be a really effective player, but he was here to put himself in the position that he put himself in.”
Harmon doesn’t come across as a rah-rah guy, and in his one season at Oregon he was dominant, putting himself in position to become a first-round pick. After landing with the Steelers, he can work alongside the player he models his game after in Cameron Heyward.
At Oregon, Harmon took his game to another level, finishing with 45 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles in 2024. He also led the country in pressures generated from a defensive tackle, too, showing off his pass-rushing skills.
He did all that at Oregon, according to Crepea, by simply putting his head down and letting his performance do the talking, which caused teammates to gravitate toward him and follow.
Now, he’ll attempt to do that in Pittsburgh moving forward.
“I can’t predict the future, but ultimately he came to Oregon to win football games and be a really effective football player and put himself position to be a first-round pick. And lo and behold, he did it again. It doesn’t just happen because he’s a really big guy and really strong,” Crepea added regarding Harmon. “He had to put in the work and in less than one year’s time for the teammates, he had to develop relationships here, coaches. He developed relationships here in a hurry. He showed it through work ethic, and he showed it for what he could do on the field.
“So again, like I say, he may not be the biggest pomp-and-circumstance verbal leader necessarily by his own admission, but the way that he goes about his business, that’s how he does his talking.”
That fits very well into the Steelers’ culture and will quickly garner Harmon a ton of respect from his teammates, especially on the defensive side of the football. That fits the mold of a Cam Heyward, a T.J. Watt, and a Minkah Fitzpatrick, who lead the way defensively. They’re quiet leaders who let their play do the talking, and more often than not it works.
Head coach Mike Tomlin praised Harmon for having “Steeler DNA” Thursday night, and that attitude and the way he goes about his business likely fits into that. The Steelers seemingly got a good one in Harmon.
Now, we’ll see if he can continue the trajectory he’s on.
