NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger has largely been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ drafts, especially recent ones under general manager Omar Khan. You won’t find anyone who highlights EDGE Nick Herbig as much as Baldinger. But he also offered a hearty endorsement of the team’s newest first-round pick, DL Derrick Harmon.
“The Steelers just want to be big and strong along the defensive line,” Baldinger said in a tweet last night shortly after the pick was made. “It’s a Steeler trait.”
Baldinger praised Harmon for not just his size and strength but his balance, staying on his feet and off the ground. Transferring from Michigan State to Oregon flipped the switch for him, creating a career season that made him a first-round selection.
“He can really play up and down your defensive front…once he gets in a gap, he’s too powerful to get out of a gap,” Baldinger said.
Echoing comparisons to Cam Heyward, Baldinger believes Harmon can be the next big thing in Pittsburgh. And at 320 pounds, he means that literally.
“He’s the next coming of Cam Heyward, he can’t go forever,” he said, acknowledging Heyward turns 36 next month. “You need another massive piece of humanity inside. Derrick Harmon, welcome to the black and gold.”
Heyward is coming off a historically strong season, but the Steelers finally took steps to limit his snap count. His 778 snaps and 71 percent usage were the lowest of his career excluding injury-shortened ones and 2012, his sophomore season in which served as backup.
Under Khan, the team has returned to its drafting roots. The organization has placed an emphasis on addressing the trenches at the top of the draft. Since 2023, five of the team’s six first or second round picks have been offensive or defensive lineman. CB Joey Porter Jr. was the only exception. Harmon is the first defensive lineman Pittsburgh has drafted in the first round since Heyward in 2011. The Steelers will hope the results are just as good.
