The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2024 season on a five-game losing streak. In their Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers really struggled to stop the run, posting one of their worst defensive performances in franchise history. Thus, they made sure to address that area of their roster, selecting Derrick Harmon in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday.
Speaking to the media after the selection, Mike Tomlin mentioned just how urgent of a need it was. He also spoke about the opportunity Harmon might have.
“Extreme urgency,” Tomlin said. “To be quite honest with you, there’s no substitute for young talent. You don’t have a chance to field a quality defense unless you’re stout inside and up front. This is a young guy, a man that has an opportunity to learn from Cam Heyward and put his hand in that pile and be a significant contributor for us for years to come.”
Throughout this entire draft cycle, Harmon has looked like a solid fit for the Steelers. Tomlin pointing out the fact that Harmon gets to learn from Heyward isn’t by coincidence, as there are a lot of similarities in their games.
Harmon has a great frame for the position. He’s a powerful player who brings it against both the run and the pass. His ability to play well in both of those aspects is one of the more appealing parts of his game. As a pass rusher, he uses his hands well to fight off defenders. Those hand skills help him get off blocks against the run. Against the pass, they’re impressive as well. He’s also able to use his sheer strength and size to push the middle of the pocket.
All things considered, the Steelers did decide to pass on another position, which could certainly also be described as urgent. Pittsburgh decided to pass on Shedeur Sanders, who many thought could have been their choice as he was still available.
While that is an urgent scenario, the argument can certainly be made that the interior defensive line was more important. There are a few other areas the Steelers can still address in the draft. However, they got arguably their biggest need out of the way in Round 1.
