First-round pick Derrick Harmon has 'Steelers DNA' already
Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers had an “extreme urgency” to find a defensive lineman in the NFL draft and they found him with their No. 1 pick — Oregon’s Derrick Harmon.
Harmon (6-foot-4½, 313 pounds), the 21st overall pick, is the first defensive lineman since Cam Heyward in 2011 to be selected by the Steelers in the first round.
“He has Steelers DNA for us,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It starts inside and up front, and this is a guy capable of dominating that space.”
Asked how urgent it was for the Steelers to begin finding a top-tier prospect to pair with Heyward, Tomlin said, “Extreme urgency, to be quite honest with you. You don’t have a chance to field a quality defense unless you’re stout inside and up front.”
Contrary to what a number of national draft experts predicted, the Steelers had no interest in taking a quarterback in the first round, including Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
“We talked about certain guys that we would not trade away from, and [Harmon] is one of those players for us,” general manager Omar Khan said. “It was an easy choice for us.”
Harmon was one of three defensive tackles the Steelers had targeted for the first round, along with Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen of Ole Miss. But the Miami Dolphins took Grant higher than anyone expected at 13th overall. And Nolen went three picks later to the Arizona Cardinals.
Is Derrick Harmon an option at No. 21?@rayfitt1 breaks down the Oregon DL ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3V7GazL2ZI
— Post-Gazette Sports (@PGSportsNow) April 17, 2025
That left Harmon, who played one season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State, for the Steelers. He was one of eight defensive linemen among the 30 predraft visitors to the South Side and felt a strong connection immediately with the Steelers.
“Just sitting down with coach Mike, he was a great guy, as far as a football coach and a person,” Harmon said on a conference call after his selection. “It was very relatable just to talk on a football side and a personal side. I kinda had the feeling. It just felt like home on the visit up there. I’m just happy I’m in Pittsburgh.”
Harmon led all FBS interior defensive linemen in quarterback pressures last season with 55, according to Pro Football Focus. That was 11 more than any other defensive tackle in the nation.
“He’s a big man. He’s stout against the run, but he’s also a major, major threat in terms of getting to the quarterback, probably tops in this draft class among interior linemen,” Tomlin said. “That’s what you want in the first round of the draft.”
The need to take a defensive lineman with the top pick increased when the Steelers released veteran Larry Ogunjobi and failed to sign any significant replacement in free agency.
Because of the lack of quality depth, Harmon will be given every opportunity to step in and play immediately, even though he is 21.
“I just think he’s been impressive at every step of the process for us,” Tomlin said. “His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in [Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine]. He came to Pittsburgh. We had a great day with him. Just with each interaction, we all got more and more comfortable he was our type of guy.”
Harmon was surrounded by a lot of family members and what he called a “village” of people when he got the phone call from Tomlin. The moment, though, was bittersweet for him because his mother, Tiffany Saine, is hospitalized on life support and could not be there with him.
“She worked [just as hard as me] to get to this moment, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Harmon said, his voice cracking. “After I get off the phone with you guys, I’m going to head straight to the hospital and kind of tell her son got drafted.”
Derrick Harmon
School: Oregon
Pos: DL • Ht: 6-4½ • Wt: 313
About the pick: Detroit native played first three seasons at nearby Michigan State before transferring to Oregon for his senior year after Spartans coach Mel Tucker was fired. ... Had five sacks and 10½ tackles for loss plus two forced fumbles and three passes defended for the Ducks. ... While those sound like Cam Heyward-esque stats, Harmon also has similar arm length (34⅜ inches) and a top-10 wingspan among defensive linemen in this draft. ... Doesn't turn 22 until Aug. 3. ... Lined up primarily in the B-gap, between guard and tackle. ... Ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine but did no other athletic testing. ... Didn’t miss a game over the past three seasons. ... Was a three-star recruit coming out of high school.
📝 Steelers insider @rayfitt1 offers his grade of the Derrick Harmon pick 📝
— Post-Gazette Sports (@PGSportsNow) April 25, 2025
Should the Steelers have gone after one of the other big names that were available, including QBs Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders? Or is this a home-run pick?
Full coverage: https://t.co/g4qjn4hpS5 pic.twitter.com/jWMC2edrSN