It was announced earlier today that first-round DT Derrick Harmon will wear No. 99 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Levon Kirkland was the first player to make that number mean something in Pittsburgh, but Brett Keisel wore it as one of the more beloved figures for the Steelers’ recent Super Bowl teams.
He gave his blessing and sounded excited about passing that tradition on to the Steelers’ first-round pick.
“Looks like and sounds like an amazing kid,” Keisel said via Steelers Nation Radio. “You watch some tape on him, highlights and stuff like that, he is gonna do great in the 99 and be able to fill that role of how we do things in Pittsburgh, where we smash people up front.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him. He seems awesome, and I know he is gonna jell perfectly. Like Coach Tomlin said, he’s got Steelers DNA all over him.”
Keisel went the opposite route for his path to Steelers greatness as a seventh-round draft pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. He earned his way into a starting role the hard way.
Larry Ogunjobi wore No. 99 for a few seasons, but there is something a little different about passing a number along to a drafted rookie, and a first-round pick. Harmon is expected to be a cornerstone of the defense for a long time. With Cameron Heyward likely to retire in the next year or two, they will need him to be.
Keisel played 12 years for the Steelers and even made a Pro Bowl in that No. 99 jersey. Something tells me Harmon is destined to set a new bar for that jersey number. While Keisel learned from Steelers greats like Aaron Smith, Heyward, in turn, learned from guys like Keisel.
Now, Harmon has an opportunity to continue that great tradition by learning from Heyward. He specifically mentioned modeling his game after Heyward at the combine.
When we talk about the Steeler Way, that is part of it. Let’s hope he can help bring a couple of Lombardi Trophies to Pittsburgh, too, just like Keisel was able to.
