The Pittsburgh Steelers had their pick between two of the prospects most frequently linked to them. As the 2025 NFL Draft unfolded, both QB Shedeur Sanders and DT Derrick Harmon were on the board. The Steelers opted to add to their defensive line. Omar Khan said it was their preferred pick all along.
“We got the player that we wanted,” Khan said in the post-draft press conference on the team’s YouTube page.
Dating back to the Senior Bowl at the beginning of the pre-draft process, Mike Tomlin had a close eye on the defensive lineman. Harmon wasn’t in attendance there, but it was clear that the Steelers wanted to bolster their defensive line.
Cameron Heyward is in the twilight of his career and Larry Ogunjobi was released ahead of free agency. If they took a half measure to address the issue, or waited another year to do so, the defensive front could have been in really bad shape.
Harmon is the perfect player to step into that role. At 6044, 313 pounds and with 34 ⅜-inch arms, he has everything the Steelers look for in the position.
Khan was asked if there was any deliberation in the picks leading up to No. 21.
“We knew before. It was easy,” Khan said. “He was there. We were taking him.”
During his pre-draft conference earlier this week, Khan said there were a handful of guys they wouldn’t trade away from. Their actions aligned with their words, as Khan stated they did not consider trading away from Harmon when they were on the clock.
Prior to Thursday, the Steelers hadn’t spent a first-round pick on the defensive line since Cameron Heyward in 2011. Those are big shoes to fill, but the hope is that Harmon can be the next cornerstone defensive lineman for a franchise that has always prided itself on elite big men up front.
