Buy or Sell: Derrick Harmon will be an effective Day-One starter for the Steelers and for years to come.
Explanation: The Steelers saw defensive line as their biggest need, and Derrick Harmon as their best way to address it. They bypassed veteran free agents, seeing the depth in the draft and the price tags of the veterans. While things got a little dicey as their pick approached, Harmon was theirs for the taking. Take him they did, and there is a starting job ready for him to grab. But is he ready?
Buy:
The Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon because his talent was evident on tape last year. He grew up in 2024, both on and off the field, and is ready for the professional game. Ready to pick Cameron Heyward’s brain, he wants to do things right—the first step toward achieving exactly that.
Of course there will be some growing pains along the way, but Harmon can still play effective football while he learns. Players enter the league these days generally knowing what they’re doing, unless they were stars in their program who were coddled and got by on their talent alone.
That wasn’t Derrick Harmon. He worked to keep improving and to get where he is now. With Larry Ogunjobi gone, the Steelers are gift-wrapping him a starting opportunity. All he has to do is take it, and based on everything we know about him, I fully expect him to.
Sell:
Derrick Harmon took a significant step forward during his final collegiate season but did not have a consistent career. The NFL is an even more significant step, and chances are he will be playing catch-up. While the Steelers have modified assignments for their 3-4 DEs, they are also still more demanding than most.
Knowing the Steelers, we might even see them start somebody like Isaiahh Loudermilk initially. Granted, they have been much better about starting rookies in recent years, like Troy Fautanu. He missed a lot of the offseason, but they threw him out there anyway—with unfortunate results, but that’s irrelevant. Derrick Harmon, though, plays at a deep position where there’s a lot to learn. Expect growing pains.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost decisively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly, and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard, and what the Steelers stand for.
The rookie class of a year ago was successful, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025. And they need everyone healthy to do it, not an insignificant consideration. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2025 NFL draft yet again.
These sorts of uncertainties are what we will address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, we will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
