Player: DL Derrick Harmon
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon practiced yesterday for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in the Steelers’ preseason finale. While it’s unclear when he will make his NFL debut, he is trending hastily in that direction. On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin described him as “questionable at best”, but Harmon sounded more optimistic.
After missing the first two games of the season, Derrick Harmon won’t have to wait much longer to make his NFL debut. Now back on the practice field, it seems likely he will play either this week or next. Considering the state of the defense, and the defensive line, he can’t get on the field soon enough.
The Steelers’ first round pick, Derrick Harmon earned starting recognition even before putting pads on. He had a quietly strong training camp, then gradually progressed with in-stadium work. After a sluggish first preseason game, he stepped up the following week. He punctuated his upturn with a sack, of which he hopes to record many more.
The Steelers will need much more than just sacks from him, however, as they work to stop the bleeding. First and foremost, they have to eliminate the leaks in the run game. They are simply allowing too many run plays of 10-plus yards, even while the rest of the time they are playing well. But if you allow two yards on first and second down and 12 on third down, it all counts the same.
It’s hard to say the Steelers have missed Derrick Harmon, since they’ve never actually had him before. What we do know is that his replacements haven’t been up to the task. Now Isaiahh Loudermilk is on the Reserve/Injured list, anyway. Yahya Black is another rookie who drew considerable preseason hype. Despite his size, he has shown that he, too, is clearly adjusting to the speed and skill of the regular season. We don’t know what kind of impact Harmon can have right away, or even when. All we know is that he probably can’t hurt.
With regular season on the way and the roster in place, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.
After a long offseason, we finally know what this Steelers team will look like for the 2025 season. The dust is long settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re into the real thing. What final moves might the team make, if any? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
