Steelers first-round pick Derrick Harmon will make his NFL debut tomorrow night, but his teammates already know what he brings. Pittsburgh wasted no time installing the rookie into the starting lineup, and he has integrated himself seamlessly, or so it seems. Count second-year ILB Payton Wilson among those impressed with what he brings—including a polish belying his lack of experience.
“We have a very, very big d-line, if you can’t tell. Especially Yahya [Black]; he’s like that scoreboard up there”, Wilson said, via the Steelers’ website. “But they’ve been amazing, especially the young guys, the way they came in. They’ve learned. Derrick runs with the 1s every single practice, and you wouldn’t be able to tell he’s a rookie”.
The Steelers knew they needed a major upgrade in the trenches after last season, and they were content to wait until the draft to make their big move. With several worthy players to consider in the first round, Derrick Harmon was the one who fell to them. While we don’t know how they ranked them, Harmon could have easily been at the top of their list.
Regardless of how they ranked the top defensive line draft prospects, the Steelers really like what Harmon is showing them. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently said the team is “buzzing” internally, believing he was a “home run pick”.
Although you might not see his name in flashing lights littered throughout Alex Kozora’s training camp diaries, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been performing adequately. And tomorrow, he gets a chance to do it under the lights in Jacksonville. After a brief injury scare, he is ready to make his NFL debut.
Derrick Harmon isn’t the only Steelers rookie defensive lineman drawing attention, of course. Fifth-round Yahya Black is making a name for himself as well–perhaps even more so. The duo has former Steelers DL Chris Hoke, now an analyst, excited to see them play.
Early this offseason, the Steelers released veteran starter Larry Ogunjobi after three underwhelming seasons. Later on, they also dumped backup DT Montravius Adams, clearing the runway for Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black to have an early impact.
Steelers DL Coach Karl Dunbar spilled the beans about Harmon seeing starter reps in June. Mike Tomlin couldn’t hide that once they opened training camp, of course. While ordinarily he might prefer that rookies “earn” their starting jobs, the reality is they really don’t have any other options. Fortunately for them, they seem to have picked the right option.
