After modeling his game after him throughout his collegiate career at Michigan State and Oregon, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon has gotten an up close and personal crash course on just how Steelers team captain and All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward operates on a day-to-day basis.
It might have been just a few days through Organized Team Activities and the three-day mandatory minicamp, but Harmon is already taking some things from Heyward while learning next to him.
That includes how to be a professional and focusing on the little details within every single part of the game.
Speaking to reporters following minicamp, Harmon sang the praises of Heyward and talked about what he’s learned from the seven-time Pro Bowler.
“Really just work ethic, I think. He comes in, OTAs he didn’t have to be here, and he was still here, and that shows a lot about his character and what type of player he is,” Harmon said of Heyward, according to video via Steelers Live on X. “Really just working and just trying to get the little details from him, because details are really the most important thing out here right now.”
Entering his 15th NFL season, Heyward is all about the details. He’s showing up in the offseason and putting in the work, leading by example in the process. Harmon is taking notice.
Of course, he’d likely have done that anyway, considering he plays a similar style of football as Heyward and has studied him over the years, trying to model his game after him. Now that he’s his teammate and shares a locker room and defensive line room with him, it makes sense for the first-round pick to latch onto Heyward and soak up everything he can from the future Hall of Famer.
Right now in the offseason, it’s all about getting your body right, learning the nuances of the defensive playbook, and honing in on those details within the game. Doing so will allow a player like Harmon to hit the ground running in training camp, where he should push for a starting job right out of the gate.
Already, he’s seeing first-team reps with the Steelers, which is a major development. Harmon is viewed as a long-term building block along the defensive line in the mold of Heyward. Seeing how Heyward works daily, takes care of his body, prepares and minds all the little details will pay off long-term for Harmon as he looks to carry on the tradition and the legacy along the defensive line for the Black and Gold.
