The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has a long and storied history. It’s a history that includes great players on the defensive line, from the Steel Curtain spearheaded by Hall of Famer Mean Joe Greene to mainstays like Brett Keisel and Cameron Heyward.
Heyward has had a long career with the Steelers and is now tasked with mentoring 2025 Steelers first-rounder Derrick Harmon. Harmon became the first defensive lineman selected in the first round by the Steelers since Heyward, whom the Steelers drafted out of Ohio State in 2011.
Heyward spoke about Harmon on The Rich Eisen Show, sharing his excitement for what’s to come from the Steelers’ rookie.
“I’m excited about his future,” Heyward told the show. “He works extremely hard. He plays with good pad level. He’s strong, and he wants to be great. So when you have a kid like that, you wanna make sure you give him every opportunity.”
Although Harmon has dealt with an MCL sprain injury that sidelined him versus the New York Jets and will keep him out this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, Heyward is confident in Harmon’s ability to play well once he’s healthy.
“I keep telling him, once you get on that field, it’s gonna happen. So, once he’s healthy, he will be out there, he’ll be able to ball,” Heyward said.
Harmon appeared in all three of the Steelers’ preseason games before his injury in the preseason finale, totaling one sack and two tackles. He flashed the talent that got him drafted, showing power on his sack and improvement throughout the summer. Our camp evaluation praised his overall performance, writing last month:
“He’s explosive off the ball. He can rip through blocks. He shows strength and flashes a bull rush capable of collapsing the pocket. Harmon got much better at using his long arms to create space in the run game and improving his strike to beat blockers as a pass rusher. An underrated part of his game is his physicality on stunts, effective as the crasher to still get pressure while allowing the looping outside linebacker to get free.
Harmon logged tons of reps, starting at left defensive end in the team’s base 3-4 and effectively starting in nickel all summer with Heyward sitting out most team drills and every preseason game. That speaks to a high level of conditioning. Harmon still needs his first move to work quicker instead of being a slow-burn rusher or one who needs to consistently counter, but the foundation is there for a bright future.”
Like many other teams, the Steelers had their eyes set on Harmon in the draft as a first-round talent after his 2024 campaign with the Oregon Ducks, during which he collected 45 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and five sacks.
Pittsburgh is currently rostering seven other defensive linemen as the team awaits Harmon’s anticipated debut.
